A Place Just For Me
by Shoomy2003
Summary: COMPLETE: Kyoru. Takes place a week before graduation. What will happen to Kyo? CONTAINS UNMARKED SPOILERS. You've been warned.
1. PreGraduation Party!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Baskets. I just like it a _whoooolleee lot_.

Kyo sighed heavily. From his perch on the roof all he could see were Sohma Zodiac members milling about, as well as the few people that had Tohru invited. There were paper cups and plates strewn about, children running and laughing, and the older folks sitting or standing in little parties amid the party, chattering amongst themselves.

Leaning back and putting his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine all of the people gone; that there was no party, no school, no graduation. His chest felt heavy and his throat constricted at the mere thought of graduating high school. No one had said anything to him lately concerning, well, him. Shishou had declared over a year ago during parent-teacher meetings that Kyo was going to go to University and become a Sociology major, which was almost a joke seeing as how anti-social he truly was. He had applied to University months ago, but he had gotten no response as of yet. Not even a _no_. He suspected an interception on the part of the Main Sohma family, but he had no proof to convict them of it. Besides… he had pretty much run out of steam. On top of that, Tohru—

_NO_, he told himself, curling up a little. He wouldn't think of Tohru in that light. His stomach balled up and the prickling behind his eyes and nose signaled impending tears. Oh how he was going to miss her.

Hearing a scrabbling on the roof, Kyo snapped out of his self-pity and peered to his side. Two hands and an elbow were trying to hoist Kagura onto the rooftop. She no longer wore that annoying cat backpack and had grown out her hair. He couldn't help but remember the conversation they had had so long ago. _"I played with you because I wanted to look down on you... I forced myself to love you."_ _"I will never love you the way you love me... I was just glad that you played with me."_ He smiled complacently at her as she wiggled over cautiously to sit beside him.

"Kyo, why aren't you down with the rest of us? The miso soup that Tohru made is wonderful! I know it's one of your favorites…"

Kyo smiled inwardly at the thought of Tohru making one of his favorite foods. "I'm not big on crowds. And miso soup isn't one of my favorite foods. It's just the only way that I think miso should be made."

Kagura shrugged. "Well you do know that it upsets Tohru when she thinks that someone isn't enjoying themselves. She's been asking where you were all afternoon."

"Did she even need to ask?" Kyo replied. He repeatedly came up to the roof when he wanted to be by himself; it was his safe haven. Tohru was one of the few that had ever joined him up here. His heart lightened at the thought of Tohru wanting him arou—_NO._

"Well, seeing as how the younger ones have the tendency to hang on her, she's been a little busy. It's a good thing that there are so many people here to help out! I made some cookies!" Kagura announced proudly. "Here, I even brought you one!"

Out of a small pocket Kagura withdrew a tiny sugar cookie in the shape of a cat's head. Kyo felt a little piqued. Apparently she still really liked cats.

"It's the only one I made as a cat. Don't worry!" Kagura stated while laughing after seeing Kyo's reaction to the cookie. "You don't have to eat it now. Just promise me that you'll humor Tohru (and the rest of us) by coming downstairs, okay? Besides, I have a present for you!"

Kyo shrugged, giving neither a yes nor a no. Kagura's eyes went dark and she grabbed Kyo's neck to give him a nuggie. "**_I SAID, COME DOWNSTAIRS SOON, OKAY?_**"

Kyo cried out,struggling to get his head out of her vice grip, "OKAY, OKAY! I'LL BE DOWN SOON!"

Kagura giggled and let him go. "Thanks! See you soon!"

Kyo watched her scrabble cautiously off the roof as he put his hair back in place, a little annoyed...

...and yet grateful that someone had finally come up and gotten him.


	2. PreGraduation Party part Deux!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fruits Basket. I do, however, own a fruitcake.

Kyo entered the doorway of the kitchen and leaned against the doorpost. His features softened and relaxed as he took in the scene before him.

Tohru stood at the sink, cleaning up the dishes that were no longer in use. The late afternoon sun was shining softly through the window, forming a soft haze around Tohru. Momiji bobbed around her, wiping things down with his usual hyper fervor. Kisa rinsed and Hiro dried the dishes that Tohru turned out. Kisa smiled lovingly up at Tohru with each dish handed to her. Hiro looked disgusted.

"What's so special about graduating? Everyone who goes through school does it, so it's not like it is some major deal. You people; throwing a party like you are the only ones who have ever graduated," Hiro ranted, carefully drying off a plate.

Kyo clenched his fists. That smart-assed little boy could sure be a menace.

"Eh, heh heh," Tohru replied, handing a plate to Kisa to rinse.

Momiji smiled at Tohru. He was now a little taller than she. "All done with the cleaning Tohru! Would you like me to clean up outside now?"

"Oh! N-no. I just appreciated your help in here, Momiji-kun. I couldn't ask you to do that too," Tohru proclaimed, her hands full of soap.

Momiji just smiled. "It's no problem! I don't mind! Anything for Tohru!"

Momiji turned to leave amidst Tohru's complaints and saw Kyo standing in the doorway. "Heeeeeyy Kyo!"

Kyo was startled as Tohru unexpectedly spun around, soap and dirty water flying through the air from the force of the turn. She stood wide-eyed at the sink, her face flushed and a giant smile on her face. The sun was still creating a soft haze around her upper body, making Tohru seem like an angelic version of herself. Kyo felt his cheeks begin to burn and a familiar fluttering in his stomach.

"Kyo-kun! I've been looking for you! Are you having a good time? Is everything all right?" Tohru walked towards him, her hands full of soap residue. "I was hoping to share the fun of the party with you!"

Kyo's face turned red as his blush deepened. She..she wanted to share—

_NO._ Kyo took a step back from Tohru. Tohru looked at Kyo's face, confusion etched in every cell. He ran a hand through his hair and tried his best smile.

"I'm sorry Tohru. I didn't mean to miss most of the party. I fell asleep on the roof." Kyo admonished himself inwardly for lying to Tohru. He just didn't want her to know the truth. That he'd been hiding away on the roof thinking of the next couple of weeks and lost track of time. And that he'd been thinking… of her.

Tohru smiled. "That is understood. The day was so wonderful. I can tell that you most definitely were asleep."

It was now Kyo's turn to look confused. "Huh? How so?"

Tohru wiped a hand off on her apron and ran a finger across the bridge of Kyo's nose and then across Kyo's cheek, right under his eye. "I can see the redness of a sunburn beginning."

Kyo's face flushed even deeper and he stared wonderingly at Tohru. How could he tell her that it most likely was just a blush from her being so close to him? She didn't give him the chance to reply.

"Are you hungry? We have some leftovers from the party that I can put together for you," Tohru said, puttering over to the refrigerator and peering in. As she began prattling off some of the food that was left in the fridge, Kyo allowed his facial color to fade to normal. He glanced at Hiro and Kisa, standing at the sink drying off their hands. Hiro glared as usual and Kisa smiled sweetly.

Momiji bounded over to Kyo and said softly, "She's been worried about you all afternoon."

Kyo's face flushed yet again. "Dammit!"

He wasn't necessarily upset about Momiji's comment, but rather that this was the second person who had said it to him in less than an hour. First Kagura coming and bugging him about it and now this stupid rabbit had said it too.

Tohru half-turned and looked at Kyo. "You don't want the salmon?" She then turned around to begin naming more things that she had yet to get to.

Kyo was about to burst; he hadn't meant it towards Tohru. "Yes!"

Tohru turned around, confusion radiating from her facial features yet again.

Kyo breathed in deeply and said more calmly, "Yes, I would like the salmon."

Tohru smiled brightly and brought the plate of salmon out. "I will make it for you right away!"

Tohru brought out a pan and began to heat up a skillet for warming the salmon properly.

As she began putting spices on it, Hiro sighed heavily. "What are _we_ supposed to do now? Just stand here with pruney hands? Hands that became pruney just so that _we_ could help you clean off those stupid plates. Plates that _we_ didn't even dirty up. So what _now?_"

Tohru turned and looked at Hiro, her face showing how uncomfortable she was with deciding what the kids should do next. Kyo was about to explode when he realized… how little time left he had with Tohru. He did not want her to see him upset anymore. He knew his yelling made her uncomfortable as well, so instead of exploding at Hiro, Kyo swiftly walked up to Hiro and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. Hiro's head whirled around, surprised.

"Hiro. I'm sure you and Kisa can find something to do without Tohru."

Kisa smiled happily up at Kyo and took Hiro's hand. "Of course, Onii-chan!" Before Hiro could even object, or feel self-conscious about Kisa taking his hand, Kisa had led him out through the dining room to outside.

Momiji looked surprised up at Kyo, and then outside to where Kisa and Hiro had just walked. "Wow."

Grabbing Momiji, Kyo gave him a half-hearted noogie.

"Waaaa! Kyoo's… not… really hurting meeeee… OUCH! THAT HURT!"

* * *

Kyo sat in the dining room, watching TV and heartily glad that everyone was finally gone. It seemed like the party had gone on for hours and he was exhausted just from hiding all day.

After he had eaten the salmon from Tohru, he was then shuffled outside by Kagura and made to open his graduation present from her. It had been a photo book full of pictures of the two starting from when they were very young and on to the present. It also contained candid shots of him with various other family members, including a few of him in the school play. Tohru was in a couple of the pictures, but never alone with him.

He was surprised by how much the gift meant to him. Kagura had taken a lot of time to put dates on the back of each one as well, so that he could always remember just how old he was and when it had occurred. He could take it to the room…_NO_. He wouldn't think of what room was waiting. Just for him. He placed his face in his hands to keep the dark feelings from pouring from every part of him.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and glance over to see Yuki sitting caddy-corner from him, watching TV as though he'd been there all along. Yuki was staring straight at the TV, not noticing the inner-turmoil that Kyo was currently experiencing.

_Good_, Kyo thought. _Don't want that bastard to see me like this._ Kyo hardened his face when he remembered Akito's bet. If he beat Yuki, he could be a part of the Sohma family. One more week and that bet was null and void. But… he didn't have the heart. So what? What if he did beat Yuki?

Kyo… Kyo could then be a part of a family. He could be accepted for who he was, finally. And he could stay. Stay with Toh—

Kyo smashed his fist on the ground to keep himself from thinking such a thing. He didn't deserve her. He'd only cause her pain.

He'd caused her enough pain as it was. _He had killed her._

"Baka neko. You are ruining the show."

Kyo, surprised, looked up at Yuki. He had forgotten the damned rat was there.

Kyo stood without saying a word. He walked outside. And ran.


	3. Inward Revelations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket. But I do own many books containing it!

Tohru entered the dining room from the kitchen, and watched as Kyo ran into the darkness of the woods. Her brow furrowed into a worried frown, and she clasped her hands in front of her torso.

"Don't worry, Honda-san."

Tohru looked over to see Yuki glancing up at her from the floor. "That baka neko will return. He always does. Until then, would you like to watch some television with me?"

Tohru took another glance outside; she didn't want to leave Kyo running in the darkness on his own. Fighting the need to run after him, she nodded to Yuki and sat next to him.

* * *

Kyo sat down on a boulder close to the lake. The moon was bright but waning, and it reflected onto the lake. Shielding his eyes from the bright, white light, Kyo put his head in his hands.

_Why do I always run away?_

He felt like a coward. Always running into the woods instead of facing what he needed to do and say; always hiding what he really wanted…

He threw his head out of his hands, tears gleaming in his eyes. His breathing picked up. The white light from the moon seemed even brighter thanks to the tears, and squeezing them shut he began to cry.

So many things had happened to him in his short life. He had been cursed. His family shunned him and blamed him for his mother's suicide. He had hurt someone that he had come to care for so dearly… and had fallen in love.

_But love is just an emotion,_ Kyo told himself. _If I can suppress my anger at being locked up, I can suppress this stupid emotion. I don't love Tohru. I don't _love_ Tohru._

"I don't love Tohru," Kyo said to himself. His breathing began to calm and his eyes began to tear less. Perhaps if he said it enough times to himself he'd begin to believe it…

"I don't believe you for a second."

Kyo spun around and was shocked to see Shigure standing next to him. He had been so deep into his own thoughts that he didn't hear the damn dog sneak up on him. What good was his training if he still couldn't hear people coming up behind him!

"Don't 'Seed of Doubt' yourself, Kyo, because it never works. As soon as you see her again you're going to fall right back in love regardless of how worked-up you've made yourself over this nonsense," Shigure commented, picking up a smooth stone and tossing it casually onto the smooth surface of the lake. The stone skipped twice.

Kyo glowered. He stared at the ripples now adorning the top of the lake. "What the hell do you know? You've probably never fallen in love."

Shigure fingered a stone thoughtfully before tossing it onto the lake. Two skips. "Au contraire. I believe that I do know what it is like to be in love. I just don't wear my heart out on my sleeve as you and Tohru do."

Glancing up at Shigure, Kyo smoothly picked up a stone and turned it over in his hand. "What do you mean? I don't wear my heart on my sleeve."

Shigure tossed another stone. One kerplunk. "Kyo, Kyo. I can see how much you love Tohru. I've known for quite a long time now of the feelings between the two of you. What I mean by you wearing your heart on your sleeve is that you don't hide it as well as you might think. Tohru may not have realized it yet, but the rest of us have. It's just a matter of time before Tohru comes to figure it out."

"I don't want her to figure it out!" Kyo stated angrily, tossing the stone. It skipped six times before dropping into the moonlit water. "If I wanted her to know, I would have told her by now!" Kyo stood up, his body teeming with anxiety and anger. But something overcame him and he schlumped down onto the boulder. Kyo felt the tears welling again and put his face in his hands before Shigure could see.

"I just… I just… don't want to hurt her any more than I have to."

_I can't think of her _that_ way. NO._

Shigure stopped mid-motion of tossing the stone in his hand. There was so much emotion in that one sentence. His body relaxed and he crouched next to where Kyo was on the boulder. "You know, Kyo… it might hurt her worse that you might not like her back. Tohru is a pretty emotional person. When her heart is set on something, or perhaps someone, she puts her all into that one thing, even if it will hurt her in the end. So this nonsense of hurting her and not loving her is just going to make you both miserable. Why not give it a try? Tell Tohru how you feel tonight?"

Kyo kept his face in his hands. He knew that Shigure was right. Tohru was the most selfless type of person; even if she knew that whatever she was doing was going to physically harm herself, she would go ahead and do it anyway to help whoever it was.

But he would hurt her in the end. Just like he had hurt countless others.

"No. I'm being taken away in less than a week now. What would be the point?"

_I can't give her my love and then take it away. That would hurt her more than my not saying a thing. _

Shigure shrugged and stood up. Looking down in his hand he found the stone that he was going to throw. Taking a closer look at it, he decided not to throw it.

"Come on, Kyon-Kyon. Tohru is probably worried sick that neither of us is there. Let's go home."

_It won't be home for much longer…_

Kyo bristled, but kept his anger in check. "Don't call me that you stupid dog."

Getting off the boulder, he was surprised when he turned to leave and Shigure had his hand stretched out. In it was a smooth stone in the misshapen form of an onigiri. It was the color of white quartz, and on the back of it was a spot in the center where some clay had been wedged.

"_I can see it. Kyo-kun has a plum on his back."_

"Perhaps this will remind you of our conversation tonight," Shigure said, walking into the forest.

Kyo followed a little behind. His mind was so occupied that he didn't realize when they had arrived to the house until he saw the lights filtering softly through the paper doors. As he entered and took of his shoes, he could hear the soft thud of someone running towards him echoing through the floor. Looking up, he watched as Tohru pattered up to him, slightly breathless.

"Kyo-kun! I was so worried about you. Are you all right? Everything okay?"

Kyo felt the familiar flush on his face and butterflies in his stomach. That damned dog was right. No matter how much he convinced himself that he didn't love Tohru, he couldn't help himself.

_I just want to keep things the way they are… just for a little bit longer._


	4. Monday Morning

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket. I do, however, own a basket full of miscellaneous fruit. I sure do like bananas.

Kyo found himself waking up earlier than normal; it was still pretty dark outside and the sun had yet to really lighten the sky. Lying in bed, he tried to go back to sleep until the scene behind his eyes reminded him of what had just been dreamed-up.

He had dreamt about her again.

How could he have forgotten the dream so fast? _I guess the shock of realizing what time it was made me forget. _But it had been bad enough to wake him up. He knew that he would have all the time in the world to dream about her during his… He shuddered at the thought that he couldn't bear to finish.

Stretching the extent of his bed, Kyo felt his joints pop and sighed deeply. _I guess I can just start early. I won't get to be outside for much longer…_

Scratching his head, he shuffled out of bed and into the bathroom. After splashing some cold water onto his face to wake him up a little more, he then went into the kitchen, helped himself to about a glass of milk (conveniently without the glass), and then began his early morning routine.

* * *

Tohru awoke to the sound of someone showering. Glancing over at her alarm, she was shocked to see that it was 5:45 a.m., the sun just beginning to light up the sky. _Strange. I have never woken up this early before, Mom. I wonder why…_

Five days remained before Kyo would be gone from her life forever; until there was a Kyo-shaped hole in her universe. She had until Saturday, the day of commencement, to find out how to break the curse. If she didn't then Kyo…

_I won't give up!_ Tohru told herself, wide away and yet all too tired. She had had trouble falling asleep that night thinking about the same thing she had just woken up to thinking. Determination swam in circular motions throughout her body, filling her being with the need to act at that very moment, and simultaneously draining her of any strength she had to stay awake. The sweet scent of soap and the soft pattering of the shower lulled her to sleep as gently as it had woken her up.

* * *

Kyo turned the shower off and felt the coolness of the surrounding air hit his wet body in one swift blow. Shivering, he wiped his body off briskly, hoping that the friction would keep him from freezing; even though it was now March, it was still very cold. Slipping into his school uniform, he felt the fabric cling to the still damp areas of his body and swore under his breath; he hated having to walk around in wet clothes. _It must be the spirit of the cat within me hating the water_, Kyo thought. _No, it's probably pretty annoying to anyone_.

Walking into his bedroom, he found that it was barely 6 a.m. _Damn! I still have three hours before I need to be at school!_ _What the hell am I supposed to do…_

The smell of sweet, sweet breakfast woke the dog up. He hadn't been asleep for long; writing his novels kept him up at odd hours of the day, and when inspiration hits a writer he had better not stop for fear of losing such inspiration. But, one had better not turn away a cooked meal, because who would cook next and when? Better not look a gift-horse in the mouth.

"Such dedication! Ahh, what is my sweet flower cooking for me this early in the…."

Shigure blinked at a shocked Kyo standing at the stove. Kyo was wearing Tohru's apron.

"Morning. Kyo! What a pleasant surprise. You're up earlier than normal," Shigure noted, leaning against the doorpost.

Kyo ripped off the apron and stuffed it into a drawer. "I couldn't sleep and got hungry, so instead of waking Tohru up I figured I could cook myself breakfast. It's not like I can't do it myself."

_He won't get the chance to cook when he's gone_, Shigure realized.

Kyo turned back to cooking, pushing the contents around the pan expertly. Shigure felt himself begin to watch Kyo, unsure of what to say for one of the first times that year; being unable to say something did not come naturally to him, so when he found himself speechless, it shocked the hell out of him.

Shigure leaned his head against the doorpost and sighed inwardly. He knew that Tohru would fight tooth and nail to keep Kyo from being locked up; at least, he hoped that she would. If he was anywhere near right with his assumption of her feelings, then he knew that she would not just stand idle while Akito closed the door and turned the lock. Yuki would probably not stand idle either, seeing how much he had come out of his shell and even stood up to Akito several times on his own, a particular New Years Banquet came to mind on that subject; Shigure found that he himself, too, did not want Kyo to be locked up either. It was a feeling he wasn't accustomed to, seeing as how Kyo was born to be looked down upon and pitied. He was supposed to feel good about himself because Kyo was being locked up and had it worse than he, but… But he found himself looking lovingly upon Kyo, hoping only for the best for him, wanting things to work out in his favor for once. Tohru and Kyo's budding relationship was one such thing that he secretly hoped would come into light and be made so that they could both be happy. Especially the cat, for once.

Kyo hunched his shoulders up to his ears. Turning slightly he said, "Are you just going to stand there and watch me?"

Shigure came back from his thoughts. "Why not? Is there some sort of law against watching one of the people that live within my humble home, cooking on my nice hot stove, slaving over a meal that I will most likely eat?"

"It's creepy!"

Shigure smiled and looked down at the ground. He knew that he would miss Kyo. But he couldn't go against Akito. She was far more precious to his heart.

* * *

"_You_ made breakfast?" a half-awake Yuki asked, his hair still slightly disheveled.

Tohru looked down, ashamed that Kyo had woken up before her and had cooked for everyone; she felt that she had failed in some strange way.

"Yeah," was all Kyo answered, sitting with Tohru and Yuki. He had already eaten and was tempted to leave for school early, but wanted to be in the company of Tohru, even if that damned rat was there. Even still, he had felt his feelings warming slightly (_just slightly! Barely anything at all!)_ towards Yuki and his company; he didn't know when he would be able to be around him in the following weeks to come, and wanted as much human contact as possible, even if it was in the form of that damned Yuki.

"Thank you, Kyo-kun, for making this wonderful breakfast," Tohru stated softly, shame tinting her voice.

Kyo shrugged. "It was no big deal. I just hope you like it."

"Of course Kyo-kun! Your meals are always most delicious!" Tohru exclaimed, digging into her meal with fervor. Yuki just stared at her blankly and then back down to his food. He still wasn't fully awake enough to understand Tohru's energy.

Kyo felt a contented, warm sensation spreading throughout his body. He knew that moments like these were going to be far and few between in the future. _I had better enjoy them while I can_.

"Yes. Your meals do have a reputation for being good… baka neko."

Kyo, shocked to his core, stared at Yuki, unsure if whether it was a compliment or not. Yuki ignored Kyo's look and began to eat his meal slowly, as if deliberating if whether it was actually asgood as usual. Tohru, too, was staring at Yuki, her chopsticks hanging mere inches away from her mouth. The food slipped out of the chopstick's grasp, and her food slapped into her bowl.

Kyo snapped out of his stare and felt his face go beet red. Looking at the wall, Kyo responded, "Uhh, thanks.."

Tohru felt a smile tugging at her lips. A bubble of laughter erupted from her throat and she felt herself laughing freely and without worry for the first time in a long time. Kyo and Yuki both looked at her wonderingly, and Tohru smiled at the two boys.

"We better get going to school soon! It's best not to be late!"

_Mom…_

Kyo nodded, stretched, and said, "Yeah, we know. That promise to your mom."

Yuki finished his bowl and stated, "I have another meeting to attend to after school, Honda-san, so I will be late for dinner."

"Like that's new," Kyo muttered, but it lacked any real emotional tie. He said it just for old times.

Watching the two boys argue without hardfeelings, Tohru smiled contentedly.

_I'm going to do my best. I _will_ save Kyo._


	5. Monday Evening

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Fruits Basket. Takaya got to it before me, so therefore she owns it… :grumble grumble:

Tohru walked into the silence of the woods during her walk home from school. Yuki was at the meeting he had talked briefly about during morning breakfast, and Kyo was at the dojo. _Don't forget to stop by and see him practicing_, Tohru reminded herself. Tohru knew that her time with Kyo was getting shorter and shorter, and she had made her mind up to spend as much time as possible being with him.

_I'm so selfish_…_for wanting him to stay here with me_… Tohru felt her chest constrict and her eyes began to water. _Mom, I'm so sorry…_

* * *

Yuki laughed happily, Manabe and Kimi laughing soundly next to him. Machi walked silently next to Manabe, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. Yuki glanced at her, careful to make sure that Manabe didn't really notice, and felt elated that the joke he had said caused the corners of her mouth to twitch slightly. She was a puzzle that he was going to crack; a person that he was going to reach and hopefully heal, the way that Tohru had helped heal him. The only problem was…

_It's not like she'd ever date me_…_ even if she could._

Yuki turned his head so that he wasn't looking at Machi any longer. Manabe hadn't caught on and he aimed to keep it that way. He was pretty weird about Yuki paying attention to Machi, and it always confused Yuki when Manabe would throw a fit.

Looking up at the sky, he found himself wondering about Tohru, and how Kyo's imprisonment would affect her. He was already surprised at how it was affecting his own self, bewilderment echoing through him at the thought of actually caring for that beast. He was born to be hated. So why did he feel sorry for Kyo?

"Yuki, what are you thinking about?"

Yuki looked over at Kimi. "Nothing really. Why?"

"You had a very sad look on your face," she said softly. "Did you want to tell your Kimi what you were thinking about that was so sad?"

Yuki felt a little piqued. She was most definitely _not_ his Kimi. "Well, I—"

"He was thinking about Graduation and how it's going to be so sad to lose all those fangirls," Manabe interrupted, his face set in stone.

Yuki glared at Manabe. "Actually, no I wasn't. I was thinking about—"

Manabe waved Yuki's admission away with his hand. "It's all right. We're your friends; you don't have to hide the truth from us." Manabe put an arm around Yuki's shoulder.

Kimi nodded her head with a bright smile. "I agree. You don't need to hide things from us! We'll always accept your strangeness! Machi feels the same way too."

Yuki felt his soul give a lurch. He felt lighter than he had in his whole life, as if a breeze was filtering through his body and slowly prying a dark cloud from his soul…

But it crashed with one thought: _They would never accept the real me; the me that they can't ever see._ Tohru was the only one who had accepted him in that form outside the inner family, but he knew that she was a dime in a dozen. Manabe, Kimi and Machi might be his friends, but they'd never truly accept the real him; the real Yuki.

"You really shouldn't answer for Machi, especially since she never said anything of the sort," Yuki replied, sending Manabe and Kimi into a rant of various proportions.

Yuki looked over at Machi. She was staring at the ground, walking as if she didn't hear what was being said around her. Yuki sighed inwardly.

_They really are my friends. But they'd never really accept the other me._

* * *

Kyo hit the block in front of him with a focused force, causing it to split evenly.

"Good job, Kyo! You're getting really good at focusing your strength," his partner praised, giving Kyo's ego a slight boost.

His body felt wonderful being used in such a manner; working out at the dojo always made him feel at home, and an ease filled his body and made him relax like he never could anywhere else.

"Wow! That cute girl is back! She sure does seem to like watching you!"

The ease left his body and anticipation replaced it. Glancing behind him, he realized that Tohru was sitting by the door, staring into space with a sad expression. Kyo felt the carnal need to swiftly walk over to Tohru and take her into his arms, taking away the sadness and replacing it only with…himself. He wanted to be a happy thought in her life, not sorrow.

Realizing that she was being watched, Tohru snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Kyo with a smile that lit up his body; that smile was just for him. He wanted nothing more than to keep her smiling in that manner for the rest of her life.

"I think practice is over-with, Kyo, so if you want to take your girlfriend home you can. She's been waiting an—"

"She's not my girlfriend," Kyo answered, his voicehard.

_She'll never be my anything_.

"Uhh, all right man. I just thought that since she…"

Kyo looked over at his partner, his eyes dark and body rigid.

"Oh well. Practice is over. Good job today."

_I can pretend I don't love her_, Kyo said to himself as he grabbed a towel to dry off the sweat pouring from his body.

_I can tell myself I don't love her a million times a day. She'll never get to be anything more to me than Tohru._

Kyo walked over to where Tohru was waiting patiently by the door, talking softly to Rin in a cautious manner. Rin made a face and Tohru looked stricken as she started to apologize profusely. He watched as Tohru's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, a lopsided smile taking over her natural smile, and her body slumping a little forward with shame. Rin looked away, embarrassment also echoing through her slight stature.

Kyo couldn't keep his eyes off Tohru, drinking in every feature of her body and animation, wanting only to memorize her every movement so that when he was alone… in that room… that he could forever remember her in every way, shape, and form.

_That damned dog was right. I'd just be lying to myself._

* * *

"Finals are going to be coming up in the next couple of days, Honda-san. Would you like to study with me?"

Tohru looked up from her dinner. "Y-yes, Yuki-kun. That would be very nice of you! Thank you very much!"

Yuki smiled. "Well, we haven't studiedor taken the exams yet, so there's no reason to thank me."

"Yeah," Kyo interjected. "It's not like that damned rat will be able to help you much."

Tohru looked down at her food, her cheeks blazing pink. "Ah, I understand. Yuki-kun's hard work will just go unused seeing as how I tend to do bad on the exams even with his help."

Yuki glared over at Kyo, but it's not like Kyo hadn't already felt stricken with remorse.

"Th-that's not what I meant at all! I meant that that stupid rat couldn't teach you---I mean, he's too stupid to help you! I don't think you're dumb... ahhh, damned it," Kyo muttered, his face redder than Tohru's with embarrassment. He knew that he was just making her feel worse, and simultaneously giving away that he had a high opinion of her in front of both Shigure and Yuki. Glancing up, he wasn't surprised to see Yuki glaring daggers at him.

"Thank you Kyo-kun! That was very nice of you to say about me," Tohru smiled brightly, catching Kyo off-guard. Kyo just shrugged and continued having a flushed face.

Shigure patted his stomach, contentment etched into every cell of his body. "Ahh Tohru. Yet another excellent dinner created by your capable hands. What did we ever do without you?"

Tohru's cheeks turned pink yet againand she smiled uncomfortably at his compliment. "Thank you Shigure-san. I didn't do anything, really."

"Nonsense my dear! You made something that no one else in this house could have ever made. Ahh, and some day, perhaps,you'll make something else that no one else here can make as well," Shigure noted, a wistful look replacing the contentment.

Tohru, Yuki and Kyo all stared at the writer.

"Eh? What do you mean Shigure-san?" Tohru asked, her head tilting slightly to the side.

Silence enveloped the room as the three teens awaited Shigure's response. Shigure allowed the silence to stretch for a while, until he felt the disgusted annoyance fill the air coming from the two boys. Opening his mouth, he took a deep breath and cried out happily, "A BABY! Our sweet Tohru as a doting mother! Oh I can't wait until the day!"

Shigure smiled innocently at a dizzyTohru as both Yuki and Kyo descended upon Shigure withsimultaneous attacks.


	6. A Rude Awakening

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I'd be filthy stinkin' rich.

Kyo was running. His heart was beating fast, his breathing heavily labored. People on the sidewalk moved out of his way until he moved onto a well-worn path onto Sohma property.

_I can't believe that just happened. I can't believe that just happened. _

Tears were streaming down his face blocking his view, but he knew the way by heart. Shishou's dojo wasn't far away, and he knew that only Shishou would understand. He had to go to Shishou. He had to go home. The adrenaline was pumping hard, propelling his faster and faster away from the nightmare that had just happened in front of his eyes.

When he saw the walls of Shishou's dojo, relief hit him so hard that he suddenly changed back into his human form. Naked, he continued to run straight into the dojo; he could care less if anyone had just seen him change.

Kazuma was practicing by himself in his dojo, allowing his body to warm up for teaching his early lesson. Kyo burst through the paper doors, throwing them sideways with such a force that Kazuma was startled from his routine.

Kazuma took one look at Kyo and knew what had just happened.

"Shishou… she saw… I panicked…" Kyo cried, his movements jerky and tears streaming down his face. He was sweating from head to toe, and naked as the day he was born. Kyo was visibly shaking, his eyes wide and pupils dilated. Kazuma knew that he was at a point where he could run and never return. Moving ever so slightly, he calmly took a breath.

"Would you like to tell Aki—"

"NO!" Kyo yelled, his body shaking harder. Sweat began dripping onto the floor, he clenched both his fists and stepped away from Kazuma. "If he found out… _NO_!"

"Okay Kyo. It's all right."

Kazuma took a small step forward. Kyo's head swiveled up quickly, suddenly looking at Kazuma full on. His face began to distort, and his frame crumpled. As he began to fall forward, Kazuma took three large steps and caught Kyo in his arms. Kyo sobbed loud, hard, his body shaking not just from fear but from pain of what he had just gone through. Kazuma's eyes began to well with tears for his adopted son, realizing that there was nothing he could do for Kyo at the moment.

Allowing Kyo to cry for a moment longer, Kazuma came to a decision.

"Kyo. I have a dojo up in the mountains that I've been meaning to visit for a while now. It's empty, but there are repairs to be done. I will have to take you out of school but—"

"Please, Shishou. I have to get away from here. Please…" Kyo shuddered against him, his tears and sweat soaking into Kazuma's clothes. "If Akito finds out… he'll lock me up without a second thought… please take me away."

Kazuma gripped Kyo tightly. His need to protect his son was greater than his respect for the head of the family. This was one of the first times that Kyo had ever cried so heavily in front of him, the last time was when Kyo was just a small child. He would do whatever it took to keep Kyo safe. Kyo continued to sob against him, his body shaking with every cry that was released.

Kazuma eased off his outer robe and wrapped it around Kyo's sweating form; he knew that Kyo could get ill from being naked and sweating in the air.

"Don't worry Kyo, everything will be all right. Just give it some time. We'll leave for the mountains today, and I'll cancel my classes. Don't worry. I'll protect you."


	7. Tuesday Morning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fruits Basket. But I sure do like writing about it!

_A bloody hand pointed at his face._

"**_I will never forgive you."_**

Kyo's eyes opened wide, his body shaking slightly and beads of sweat pouring down from his forehead. The sweat on his body was making his clothes cling to him, making him feel as though he were suffocating. Throwing his covers off, he felt the rush of the cool air chilling him and taking the overbearing heat from his body. The sun was shining brightly onto his bed, making the temperature under the covers almost scalding. Kyo sat up and put his sweaty face in his hands. The memories were beginning to flood him in his sleep, the latest being about him running to Kazuma after…

"_How long are you going to keep running?"_ Kazuma had asked Kyo not long after coming back from the mountains. Kyo felt his body tense up; today was Tuesday. He had four more days until commencement of high school. Four more days.

"I'm not running anymore."

* * *

Tohru looked out the window as she cleaned up the dishes she had used to make breakfast. She had four more days to figure out how to end the curse and save Kyo. Her heart began to beat fast and she felt her knees go weak.

_How can I save him? I can barely do anything…_

Tohru shook her head. _Not true. I have to keep thinking positively. I promised Mom that I would save him._

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Tohru jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder. Shigure was standing next to her, a soft smile on his face.

"Eh…" Tohru smiled sadly back.

Shigure put his hand on her head. "It's just that you seem to be fighting something, shaking your head this way and that. It's rather comical, really. I had to force myself to not say something. Ah, but you see that in the end I did. So, penny for your thoughts?"

Tohru was silent for a moment. As Shigure pulled his hand away, Tohru blurted, _"What can I do?"_

Shigure's hand stopped mid-motion. He could see Tohru's tears forming through her clenched eyes, and her body was shaking slightly.

"I'm just me. I don't have anything special. What can I do to save him?"

Shigure brought his hand down and wiped it through his hair. Crouching slightly, Shigure brought himself to Tohru's level. Watching as the tears slowly made their way down her cheek, he smiled at her.

"Tohru, just do what you've been doing all along. In the end, you really just need to be yourself," Shigure stated, putting his hand back on her head.

"Oy."

Tohru and Shigure both looked at the kitchen door. Kyo was standing there, pale, but staring angrily. "Why is it when I find you two together Tohru is always crying?"

Shigure stood straight and let his hand slowly fall off of Tohru's head. Tohru's face was red, and the tears had stopped but there were still wet lines on her cheeks.

"Did you hear what we were talking about?" Shigure asked, watching as Kyo's glare went soft at the tears being shed by Tohru again.

"No. I'm not an eavesdropper and you know it," Kyo stated, his face turning from pale to pink.

Shigure shrugged. "Well, Tohru will just have to tell you herself what we were talking about, and on her own time. So don't force her."

Shigure walked out from the kitchen. Kyo clenched his fist. "Now what the hell was that supposed to mean?"

Tohru looked down at the ground. _Could I really tell him? I mean, I told him over New Years what my wish was… but he got mad and told me to stop talking about it. Could I really tell him?_

A finger under her chin brought her face up from looking down at the ground. Kyo was staring gently down at her, and with his other hand he softly wiped away the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" Kyo said, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "I don't ever want it to feel as though I forced it from you." _You're still here after all that we've put you through…_

Tohru's eyes went wide and filled with tears. _You're still here. I can still help._

"Th-thank you Kyo-kun. I was just—"

"I forgot allllllll about my breakfast!" Shigure sang, making his way into the kitchen. Stopping at the scene in front of him, he watched as Kyo's hand flew from Tohru's face, both of them beet red.

A devilish smile played on Shigure's lips. "Oh, young love. What I would give to be that—"

A fist knocked down on Shigure's head. Turning, Shigure felt crocodile tears forming as he looked at Yuki.

"What are you blabbering on about so early in the morning?" Yuki asked, his hair going every which-a-way, his eyes still half closed. Shigure began to blubber on about hitting people in the heads, and Tohru and Kyo turned awkwardly from each other.

The thought that echoed in both their heads: _You're still here. And that's all that matters right now_.


	8. The Walk To School

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, the drawings wouldn't be so amazing because I couldn't draw well to save my life, which is quite a predicament.

Tohru walked slowly next to Yuki and Kyo. An easy silence spread between them, and Tohru felt her body relaxing with each step towards the school. She frowned slightly at what Shigure had said that morning. _"Tohru, just do what you've been doing all along. In the end, you really just need to be yourself."_ How could that help her save Kyo? How could being herself end the curse? She felt as though her insides were swirling around in circles, and her heart fell into her stomach.

"Today is beautiful, don't you agree Honda-san?"

Tohru jumped from her thoughts. Forcing her thoughts aside, she smiled. "Y-yes, Yuki-kun! For it being March, it is a very nice morning."

A comfortable silence ended the conversation, and Yuki smiled down at Tohru.

"Where do you think you're going to work after graduation?" Yuki asked nonchalantly.

Tohru stopped walking and was suddenly plunged deep within her thoughts again. _After graduation. After Kyo is gone_.

Yuki stopped at Tohru's sudden expression of horror. "Honda-san?"

Kyo turned to look at her, puzzlement etched in his face as to why they were stopping. He took one look at her wide eyes and felt his heart leap to his throat. "What's wrong Tohru? He just asked a simple question."

"Ha…" Tohru broke her expression. Putting a hand to her face, Tohru muttered, "I guess I'm just a little anxious, is all."

Yuki smiled down at Tohru. "That's normal. We're all pretty anxious about graduation." _For different reasons…_

Kyo felt his heart fall into his stomach and turned from Tohru. A dark feeling spread from his chest and numbed his body. "Yea, we're all pretty anxious…"

Both Yuki and Tohru looked over at Kyo.

Yuki felt like an idiot. He felt that he had sounded like he wanted the damned cat to be locked up. _But don't I?_

Tohru trembled for a moment, and then grabbed Kyo's hand. Kyo turned to look at Tohru in surprise, and all three faces lit up with embarrassment.

_Caught again between my mother and her lover_, Yuki thought.

"Kyo-kun…" Tohru said softly, "I want to help you."

Yuki watched as Kyo's eyes went wide. Tohru's eyes stayed riveted on Kyo's face, and Yuki found that his eyes were trained on Kyo as well.

"Uhh… To-Tohru, you—"

"No! I want to help. Kyo-kun please. My wish for New Years was to break the curse because I want to help you! I don't want you to be locked up!"

Yuki and Kyo both looked at Tohru, surprise echoing off each of their frames. Tohru's eyes filled with tears, and her lips began to tremble, all the while still holding determinedly onto Kyo's hand.

Kyo's body began to tingle, and a wind felt as though it was breezing into his body, lifting away a dark cloud from his soul… she had spoken about the one thing that everyone had danced around since summer break.

"Tohru…" Kyo breathed. _How does she always know what to say?_ "I wish that you could help me too."

Yuki found his body tingling with surprise. Kyo's revelation shocked him for some reason. _He wanted help all along? How could I have been so blind?_

Kyo blinked tears away. "But… standing here in the middle of the woods isn't going to help us. We're going to be late for school. We don't want to break that promise to your mom in the last few days, now do we?"

Tohru shook her head. Turning, Kyo kept a hold of Tohru's hand and turned to walk down the path. Tohru kept her head down, and walked along with him. Yuki followed the two, feeling out of place and a little confused as to what he was feeling about Kyo's upcoming imprisonment. _Why should I feel any different about Kyo? We all knew that he was going to be imprisoned, just like the other cats from the zodiac… but why do I feel that locking up Kyo is wrong, all of a sudden?_

Looking up, he was taken aback to see both Tohru and Kyo looking at him. Following Tohru's arm he found her hand stretched out toward him, beckoning to be held.

"We don't want you to feel alone," Tohru said, a gentle smile on her face.

Smiling, he gratefully took Tohru's hand, and walked with her and Kyo to school.


	9. Tuesday at School

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would probably just sit and say to myself, "_Now_ what am I supposed to do…"

Listening to the birds chirps in the afternoon sun, Kyo sighed as the cool March wind brushed past him. It felt good to be outside rather than cooped up in the classroom learning about the last few things that Sensei was trying to squeeze into the students' heads before graduation in four days. _Four days…_

"Here you go, Kyo!" Tohru exclaimed happily, handing him his bento full of food she had made the night before.

Kyo smiled as he looked at Tohru, taking it from her extended hand. _I walked to school holding your hand…_

Tohru's cheeks pinked as he smiled at her. A blush spread across his own cheeks as well.

"My, what do we have here?" Hana asked.

Kyo and Tohru, brought from their moment, looked embarrassedly at Hana. She was peering into the bento that Tohru had brought for her as well.

"You made all of this, Tohru?" Hana asked, her gaze slowly spreading from the bento up to Tohru's face. "For me?"

"Yes! I made everyone's favorite foods. I knew that since school was ending soon, I wouldn't get the chance to make everyone their favorite foods until… I don't know when!" Tohru said happily, smiling brightly at Hana.

Arisa's eyes filled with tears, and she sniffed dramatically. "Tohru… so selfless… damned it…"

Yuki smiled over at Tohru. "Thank you, Honda-san."

…_even though I had to share the moment with that damned rat, I got to walk hand in hand with you._ Kyo was surprised when his thought about Yuki didn't carry much malice. It hadn't even bothered him when Tohru had stopped him to turn for Yuki to be included. It had felt… right. Watching as Tohru was engulfed by Arisa and Hana in a simultaneous hug, he felt his heart crackle with happiness as he saw the person who had thawed his heart smile brightly. Looking over at Yuki, he saw that Yuki was mirroring the same contented expression that he knew that he himself carried.

Looking down into his bento, he saw that Tohru had indeed made all of his favorite foods. For some reason it made him think of Kagura and what she had said at the pre-graduation party on the rooftop,_ "The miso soup that Tohru made is wonderful! I know it's one of your favorites…"_

"Whoa, Hana, I never knew you as a reader," Arisa commented, bringing Kyo back from his thoughts with curiosity.

"Hana-chan! That's so great!" Tohru squealed happily.

Hana continued eating and said softly, "It's for extra credit. I am failing. My mother is quite distressed."

Everyone but Hana was plunged into their own thoughts. _Failing? In her last year?_

"What book are you reading?" Arisa asked, trying to pry it from underneath Hana's food without disturbing her bento.

"It's about the Chinese Zodiac. My brother said that it was interesting because it deals with curses. You know how much he loves books about curses."

Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru's blood froze in their veins, while simultaneously the hairs on their necks stood straight.

"Wow that does sound interesting Hana. What's it about?" Arisa continued, not noticing the reactions from Yuki, Kyo and Tohru as she glanced that the now freed book.

Hana slowly chewed her food before continuing. "It starts off with the god and how it loved all the animals, but had a few that he loved even more dearly. One of those animals was the rat. The god appointed the rat to let the animals he cherished know about a banquet he was going to put on for the chosen ones. The rat took down the names and went off to let the lucky animals know that the god had taken a particular liking to them."

Pausing, Hana placed some more food in her mouth. Yuki shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

"Now," Hana continued slowly. "the rat noticed that the god named off his best friend, the cat—"

"EH?" Tohru cried out, shocking everyone. Yuki and Kyo both blushed furiously.

Hana nodded, "Yes, it does seem as though it could be impossible now, seeing as how we know the ending. But the rat knew that if the god invited the cat, that the god might begin to favor the cat more than himself. The rat liked being in the god's favor, even though both he and the cat were best friends. So in an act to preserve his position in the god's eyes, he lied to his best friend saying that the banquet was the day after it truly was. The rat felt horrible about lying and excluding his best friend, but went on with his rounds of informing the other animals about the god's banquet. The banquet went on without a hitch, and the rat was forever seen as favorable in the god's eye.

"Once the cat woke up and found out about the banquet being the night before, his fury was untamable. He was more hurt by his best friend than actually missing the banquet, and vowed to forever hate the rat. The god became furious with the cat, seeing as how the rat was his most loved. The god then laid a curse upon the cat, claiming that the cat's anger will forever make him ugly and repulsive, until the day that he could forgive the rat. The twelve animals that had come to the banquet were then told to look down upon the cat, as the anger the cat felt deformed him from his usual furry self into something much more monstrous..."

Silence engulfed the luncheon, and Yuki and Kyo's hearts both hardened. _Best friends? HA! I could never be best friends with _that

"I can't believe you actually read a book!" Arisa laughed, breaking the silence while patting her now full stomach.

"As I said, it's for extra credit," Hana explained, putting the last of her food into her mouth.

Tohru's face was flushed. _They had been best friends? _Looking over at Yuki and Kyo, she felt the sudden need to protect them.

"DID YOU KNOW THAT THE ANIMALS WERE NEVER A PART OF THE CALANDAR?_"_ Tohru blurted out, startling her friends. Yuki glanced up at Tohru, suddenly remembering that he had once informed her of this fact.

"Th-they were added later. No one knows why," Tohru stammered on, her face bright pink.

Hana nodded. "Interesting."

Soft chimes filled the air, signaling the end of the lunch break.


	10. Wednesday Morning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. I can't think of anything witty to say, so I'll say something next time.

Kyo woke with the morning sun shining brightly on his face. Frowning sleepily, Kyo rolled over and his face slowly cooled off from the sun beating heavily down on him. Staring at his clock, he thought about what had happened yesterday: he had felt ill towards Yuki in longer than he could remember.

He hadn't really thought about the change towards Yuki. It had just happened as his feelings for Tohru had deepened. Ever since last summer, he had not really had a fight with Yuki, and it had been a long time before he had really wanted to take Akito up on his bet. He just didn't care any more. Unlike in the past…

"_What are you trying to say…? Don't even think that we're just gonna be best friends just 'cuz you guys have some dumb ideas. 'Get to know each other better'? What a load of crap! It sucks hanging out with him all the time! **I hate Yuki! And I **_**like_ hating him!_**_"_

Shigure had just looked at him and replied icily, _"I wonder why? You speak as if you're _obligated_ to hate him. But your eyes… your eyes tell a different story. They tell me…that you're afraid to find out."_

Kyo knew then that Shigure had been right, and after thinking about _her_, he had run into the woods until Tohru had calmed him down enough to go back.

"_You know, you don't have to get along…it's okay…even if you hate him…it's okay."_

He had refused to admit it to himself for the longest time. _Maybe I am still afraid to find out. Or maybe I just don't care any more._ _Either way, in a few days I'm done with Yuki all together. _

_There's no point in fighting him any more. My future is set. I'm not going to run from it this time._

Stretching, he rolled out of bed and began to prepare for his early morning routine.

* * *

Yuki was annoyed. Staring out his window, he watched Kyo punch and kick at the air, intensity coiling with each movement. Without realizing it, he began to size up every punch with one that he could counter with, every kick with a dodge and a parry.

"_The cat is a fool."_

Glancing with agitated disgust, Yuki turned from the cat's routine. The window shade filled the void in which he had just been standing.

* * *

Setting the table for breakfast, Tohru looked up when Yuki entered the room.

"Good morning!" Tohru said cheerily, smiling brightly. "How did you sleep?"

Yuki hid his annoyed feelings and filed them away in the proverbial box that she had helped to open. "I slept fine, thank you for asking Honda-san."

"I'm glad!" Tohru replied, handing him a plate of food.

Hearing the paper door slide open, Tohru turned and smiled at Kyo as he walked into the room. Right away she felt the tension between Yuki and Kyo; it was something she hadn't felt in so long that she had actually forgotten the way it consumed the room's atmosphere, like a cloud of fog making it too dense to see.

Kyo sat, dabbing away the sweat his workout had produced with a towel. Tohru tried to elicit a smile from him as she handed him a plate of breakfast, but Kyo wouldn't look at her or Yuki.

"Thanks, Tohru," Kyo stated, putting the towel around his neck and taking a long drink of the water that had been set by his plate.

Tohru stole a glance at Yuki, but he was determinedly not looking in Kyo's direction just as much as Kyo was avoiding his.

_This is terrible!_ Tohru screamed in her head. She felt as if a giant dark cloud had descended upon the room, obscuring the truth between the two. _The spirits within them were once friends… why can't they just see beyond the past and forgive each other? _

"Um," Tohru spoke, slicing through the thick silence. "Kyo-kun are you going to the dojo again today?"

Kyo looked at Tohru, surprised. "Yeah. I normally do."

"Perhaps I could come and visit you?" Tohru asked, her face turning red.

Kyo cocked his head to the side, smiling slightly. "You don't have to ask, you know. You could just come."

Tohru nodded, her face still red. "P-perhaps Yuki-kun would like to join us at the dojo?"

Both Yuki and Kyo glanced at Tohru, surprise etched into both their features. Tohru felt the thickness of the cloud disappear.

Yuki glanced briefly at Kyo and then down at his half-finished breakfast before saying, "I have a meeting after school. I have to show the new president what he's going to have to do for next year and—"

"Oh pipe-down. Don't come then," Kyo stated, looking tiredly at Yuki. "She just wanted you to come. You could just say no."

Yuki glared at Kyo. "I was going to say that I would come after the meeting was over. I've been meaning to say hello to Shishou, anyhow."

Kyo shrugged.

The cloud descended again and grew darker.


	11. Wednesday at the Dojo

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. I know, I know, it's unbelievable, but believe it. Takaya is the genius behind these wonderful characters, not I!

Shishou watched as Kyo and Tohru walked toward him. Kyo's body was relaxed, as was Tohru's, but he felt a tension that had been absent in the past between them. Kyo's face lacked any sort of emotion that might give him away, but he knew that Tohru's was translucent when it came to her feelings. _She looks tense._

Smiling brightly, Shishou greeted his adopted son and Tohru with a smile.

"Hello Kazuma-san!" Tohru greeted fondly, a bright smile showing relief.

"Shishou," Kyo nodded, relief also etched in his face. "Are you ready for your ass to be kicked by me, finally?"

Tohru's eyes widened.

Kazuma laughed. He knew that Kyo was just trying to bait him. "Are you sure that you're strong enough, my son?"

Kyo blushed at Kazuma's remark; Tohru smiled happily. "We'll see, Shishou."

* * *

Tohru watched for about forty-five minutes as Kyo jumped, kicked, and punched his way through his routine with various partners. She watched as they fought through mock tournaments, each taking a turn with a partner to fight until one of them succumbed to the other. Kyo and his last partner were fighting fiercely, each exhausted from practice, but neither willing to give in to the other just yet.

"BREAK!" Kazuma called after Kyo's partner went sprawling to the floor across the room. Kyo stood panting in the middle of the room, and put his hands together and bowed to his opponent. The opponent nodded in agreement with a grimace, and then painstakingly drew himself off the floor.

Kyo grabbed a towel and walked to where Tohru and Kazuma were chatting amicably. Tohru looked up at Kyo and smiled happily; Kyo's heavily beating heart skipped a beat.

"Good job, Kyo-kun!" Tohru praised. Kyo's cheeks pinked.

"I agree. You seem to get stronger with each practice," Kazuma commented, sending Kyo's ego soaring through the roof, and yet not allowing himself to believe Kazuma completely.

"Perhaps you should try practicing with me."

Tohru, Kyo and Kazuma turned to look at Yuki.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried happily. "You came!"

Kazuma smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while, Yuki. Welcome."

Kazuma looked at Kyo and felt why Tohru had been so tense; the strange feelings emanating from both Yuki and Kyo were intense.

"Well, Kyo? Do you take him up on his offer?"

Kyo looked into the distance, panting still from practice. Kyo then jerked to look over at Yuki. "What, did your precious Akito tell you about our little bet? Is that why you suddenly want to fight me?" Anger tinged his words.

Yuki glared suspiciously at Kyo. "What bet?"

Kyo stared at Yuki as if to decide if whether he was telling the truth or not. Shrugging, Kyo looked into the distance again and muttered, "You haven't been practicing. It's almost unfair since I'm practically exhausted."

"That should give you the upper-hand, Kyo," Kazuma stated. "He hasn't been stretched, while you are loose and ready."

Kyo had felt the tension between him and Yuki ever since yesterday's lunch with that damned wave girl and the Yankee. He knew that if he could feel the tension, that it must be horrible for Tohru. _Tohru…_ Darting a glance over at her, he saw her face furrowed into a frown as she stared at the floor. _She must be so worried about what's changed between me and Yuki. _Determinedly, he looked over at Yuki. He was almost taken by surprise to see Yuki staring hard at him.

"Fine. I'll fight you."

Yuki cocked his head to the side. "Make it worth my time."

Kyo felt his patience fading as he and Yuki made their way to the middle of the practice floor. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I've been practicing for almost an hour!"

Yuki stretched his arm in front of him. Kyo, too, began to stretch the muscles that had begun to harden while he was resting. After a good couple of minutes, Kazuma yelled out, "START!"

Kyo felt his body go into fight-mode, trying to see through his opponent's defenses, only this time it was his long-time enemy, Yuki. It was slightly unnerving, but he wouldn't react the way he used to; he wouldn't just charge head into some move without first seeing of what Yuki was capable. Feinting a little, he saw that Yuki was doing the same as he, and he blocked a punch that Yuki threw, and pushed Yuki away from him.

Yuki was surprised when Kyo tossed him casually away, as though catching his punch had meant nothing.

_Something is different with him_…

_He's more confident._

Yuki watched as Kyo sized him up, watching every movement carefully. Yuki threw and blocked a few punches, trying to find a weakness in Kyo's defense. Kyo threw a punch of his own, and Yuki smiled inwardly as he met to catch it. Suddenly, Yuki found himself being kicked from underneath, his legs giving way to the force of Kyo's kick.

_The punch had been a distraction!_ Yuki screamed in his head, shock roiling through him as he fell to his knees. Kyo stood above Yuki, his leg poised to kick Yuki clear across the room. Yuki stared up at Kyo, his eyes showing his surprise.

Kyo was shaking. His leg was beginning to ache from so much use from practice, but he was poised to send Yuki to the other side of Japan if he had to. _I…_

"BREAK!" Kazuma yelled, signaling the end of the fight.

_I…won._ _I beat Yuki._

Yuki felt his body release the tension that was hiding deep within the box. Getting onto his feet, he watched as Kyo slowly brought his leg down, his eyes wide.

Yuki stood straight and brushed his hands off. Facing Kyo, he looked into Kyo's wide, wary eyes. Putting his hands together, he bowed to Kyo. Kyo shakily reciprocated. Standing straight again, Yuki took once last look into Kyo's eyes before turning and walking out of the dojo.

_Perhaps the cat is not the fool I thought it to be._


	12. Wednesday Night Revelations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket. End of story (but not of Fruba yet!).

Yuki limped slowly. Brushing past a few low-lying branches, Yuki exited the well-worn path and sighed inwardly as he came upon his secret base. Crouching slowly, Yuki winced as the shin of his left leg throbbed.

_Perhaps the cat isn't the fool I took it for. I was the fool today._

Yuki put his hand to his face and brushed the hair from his eyes.

_I can't believe I lost. _

Something furry brushed up against his ankle. Looking down, Yuki was surprised to see a little rat sniffing around his shoe. It was but a baby rat, fresh from the nest, and barely larger than the size of a mouse. Picking up the little rat, Yuki felt a smile come to his lips.

"In the past, you were friends with the cat."

Yuki knew that the story that Saki-san had told the other day was true. He could feel it in his cursed soul when he looked at Kyo; he was the reason Kyo's spirit was so vengeful.

"Why did you betray him? Pride? To show that you could?"

The little rat squeaked and licked the tip of Yuki's finger, nibbling just slightly.

_Ha, I have no pride left._

* * *

Tohru set the table for dinner, all the while glancing at the sliding paper door every other minute. Now that they had begun eating, Tohru was frowning and chewing slowly, staring every once in a while at the spot that Yuki normally took. Shigure had chosen to ignore her strange tick, but it was annoying the hell out of Kyo.

_I WON! And she's freaking worried about that damned rat. _

Kyo smoldered silently though, knowing full well that it was no use. Even being with her while she worried about the rat was better than not being around her at all.

_But… I freaking won!_

After Yuki had walked out of the dojo, Kyo had collapsed onto the ground, exhausted to his core. Tohru had rushed to his side, her little hands darting around, not knowing what to do to help Kyo. Kazuma had just casually walked up to Kyo, and held out a hand. Panting, Kyo laughed and took it. Kazuma lead Kyo into his house to rest, Tohru fluttering after. Before they left Kazuma's, though, Kazuma had asked that Tohru speak with him privately.

Looking over at Tohru's worried expression, he couldn't help but wonder what Kazuma had said.

"Ahhh, Tohru. Your dinner, once again, was the highlight of my day," Shigure complimented. Standing and stretching, he then uttered, "You know, Kyon, you should really put into practice what I told you during our little moonlit conversation. I think it might be different than what you expect."

Shigure then winked and walked out of the dining room, softly closing the paper door behind him.

…_That dog drives me so crazy._ Kyo thought to himself, making a fist.

Kyo glanced over at Tohru, and blushed at the questioning look she was giving him.

_She could never love something like me back..._

"Kyo-kun…" Tohru said softly. Kyo's eyes shifted to Tohru, his cheeks pinked and his heart pounding with the way she said his name so gently. "Do you truly wish me to help you?"

"Tohru…" Kyo said, his voice choking at her name. He knew that she was talking about their walk to school on Tuesday. He watched as Tohru stared at him, her face red.

"I-I really meant it. I want to help you, Kyo-kun. I just wish…" Tohru stammered, breaking the gaze between them, looking down at the table. She put her hands in her lap and twined them nervously.

Kyo surprised himself as his hand took one of her hands and held it in his own. Tohru's face lit up with an even deeper shade of red, and Kyo tried his best to keep his face from doing the same.

"You wish what, Tohru?" Kyo said, trying to keep his voice calm and soft.

Tohru looked over at Kyo, tears filling her eyes. "Two days, not counting tonight. Sh-Shigure told me to just be myself… but how can I save you? How… how can I just give up on Mom like that?"

Kyo started a little; fear filled him slightly. "Your mom?"

Tears began to flow freely from Tohru's eyes. "I prom-promised myself that I-I'd love Mom only…"

Kyo's eyes widened. _What is she saying? Is she…_

"I to-told myself that I would love only her when she died… but I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I'm breaking… my promise to my mom!" Tohru sobbed, bringing hers and Kyo's hand to her face to hide her tears.

Kyo felt the hot tears smear across the back of his hand and the heat from her face. Inside his body, he felt nothing as his heart swelled twice the size of normality.

_Is she… confessing to me? _

Sitting up straight, he leaned towards Tohru. Using his other hand, Kyo gently took the back of her head and softly had her fall on his shoulder. Tohru just sank into his shoulder, sobbing.

"Tohru…" Kyo said softly, his lips touching the crown of her head. "Your mother would be happy for you no matter what…"

Tohru nodded, her head rubbing into Kyo's shoulder. She squeezed his hand, and her sobbing slowed to a hiccup.

"As for saving me," Kyo continued, breathing into her hair. "Just the thought of you wanting to, makes me the happiest… man… alive. Thank you, Tohru."

_I'm so sorry, Mom._

Kyo listened as Tohru's breathing deepened, and he knew after a while that she was asleep. Leaning back slowly, he lowered himself and Tohru to the floor. Tohru squeezed his hand in her sleep, her head heavy on his shoulder and her warm breath softly breezing onto Kyo's neck. Feeling his body relax, Kyo closed his eyes and fell asleep…

_I think I've made my decision…_


	13. Thursday Morning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, every character would look different with each new panel!

Kyo awoke to light filtering in through the paper doors (_paper doors?... what the…)_, his neck and back stiff from being in the same position all night long. Trying to change positions, he found that his shoulder felt heavy, and glancing over at it he saw Tohru's big brown eyes slowly opening to gaze into his. The two stared at each other for a minute before it registered what had happened.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise."

Kyo and Tohru bolted from each other, their faces red with embarrassment at being caught and for the plain fact in itself.

Shigure laughed heartily, while Yuki stared at the two on the floor without feeling.

"I-I'm so sorry Kyo-kun! I guess I must have fallen asleep and I—"

"Tohru," Shigure chimed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "'Tis a natural thing when in love; it can be a beautiful thing when, for the first time, two young buds sleep togeth—"

Yuki and Kyo both slammed fists into Shigure before he could continue with the sentence.

"Ow… didn't anyone ever tell you two not to hit your elders?" Shigure whined, slouching slightly.

"Don't worry about it Tohru. It's not like it's a big deal," Kyo told her, while on the inside his heart thrummed madly. _I can't freaking believe I did that last night!_ _I should have never fallen asleep! But she was so warm and so soft and…_ "Besides, it's not like we did anything illegal."

Blushing, Tohru looked down at her lap. "Yes, you're right Kyo-kun."

"You better not have, baka neko," Yuki said, staring at Kyo darkly.

Tohru glanced up at Yuki. "You're back! Yuki-kun, we were so worried about you last night!"

_Speak for yourself_, Kyo thought, stretching to get the soreness from his movement-deprived muscles and joints. _I finally beat the damned rat and he runs off to sulk._

"Here, I saved some dinner for you…" Tohru looked at the table. It was still a mess from last night's dinner, and all the food had spoiled in the night.

"**EHHHAAAHHH!** I never cleaned up! My apologies! Because of my falling asleep I never got to properly save your dinner!" Tohru cried out, frantically running about trying to salvage any food deemed so.

Yuki stepped forward and put a hand on hers before she could try to save another dish. Tohru looked up at him with a puzzled look and Yuki replied, "Don't worry Honda-san. I… ate out last night and am not hungry. You obviously needed sleep, so don't worry about the food."

"Sure," Shigure sighed, "don't worry about the food when _you_ don't buy it."

Tohru frantically apologized, "I'm so sorry, Shigure-san! I will pay you back for—"

Shigure waved his hand in Tohru's face. "I kid, I kid! Do as Yuki said and don't worry about it Tohru. Just relax."

Tohru looked at him for a moment and then broke out in a nervous smile. "Yes!"

Tohru began to pick up the dinner dishes, and her face fell a little. "I never prepared breakfast… or lunch." Her shoulders hunched forward and she schlumped her head onto her chest. "I'm… so… sorry…"

"Should we start calling you Ritchan?" Shigure joked.

Kyo stood, causing Tohru, Yuki and Shigure to look over at him. Placing a hand on Tohru's shoulder, his face pinked slightly at the gesture in front of the others, "I'll make breakfast and lunch. You just concentrate on cleaning up dinner, okay?"

Tohru pinked, and a small smile formed. She knew that Kyo was serious and that her arguing would just make him mad. "Al-all right Kyo-kun. Thank you."

Kyo nodded and walked into the kitchen. _She was still soft and warm…_

Tohru paused in her dish-stacking. _His hand was so warm and gentle…_

* * *

Grabbing his school bag, Kyo was surprised to hear a small knock at his bedroom door. 

"Yeah?" Kyo called, shouldering his bag.

Tohru poked her head in, and Kyo's face turned bright red. _What is she doing here now?_

Tohru smiled gently and bowed her head embarrassedly as she entered Kyo's room. She was holding a large manila envelope, the front of it concealed by it being pressed to her bosom.

"Kyo-kun, I-I was going to give this to you last night, but…" Tohru trailed off, her face turning bright red. She drew the envelope away from her bosom and held it out.

Kyo frowned slightly, and took the folder. As he turned it over, he was surprised to see his name as the recipient of the envelope. _It was already opened… and then re-sealed._ Tearing it open, Tohru continued with her explanation.

"Shishou gave it to me yesterday at the dojo. I guess he was too busy to be able to give it to you personally, but he told me to tell you that he was proud of you."

Kyo brought out the first leaflet of paper, and on it was scrawled in Kazuma's handwriting, _"I intercepted this somehow. For some reason, they sent this to my address instead of Shigure's. Thought you might want to read the contents. Congratulations; I am so proud to call you son. –Kazuma". _

Frowning in confusion, Kyo placed Kazuma's note aside and took out the first letter in the packet. Kyo's eyes widened as he began to read it, and Tohru stood before him feeling confused and as though she were imposing. As she turned to leave, she was stopped by his fingers wrapping gently around her upper arm. Looking up at his face, Tohru was surprised to see a nervous, happy smile playing about his eyes and mouth.

"I… I got in. I got into University. They accidentally sent it to Shishou's place instead of here… I can't believe it. I got into University," Kyo said, his voice strained with excitement.

Tohru broke out in a large smile and clapped her hands together. "Uwaahh! T-that's so great Kyo-kun! I'm so happy for you!"

Kyo started laughing, and he yelled out happily at the top of his voice, "I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY!"

Through the smiles and the excitement, one thought played and replayed, unwanted, deep within both Kyo and Tohru's minds.

_Two days._


	14. Thursday Troublings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, it would have some lame title, like…eh, something really lame, though.

Kyo's high about getting into University had worn off by the end of the school day. His soul felt heavy, torn with something more than just his want of staying in the free world.

Tohru had wanted to walk home together, seeing as how he wasn't going to the dojo today, but Kyo had opted out.

"I'm just going to walk around, all right? I'll be home for dinner, I promise."

Tohru had just nodded and smiled sadly. He knew that she was thinking of how little time they had left together, but he just needed some time to think. He needed to be able to walk around and see everything before his two days were through.

Two days. Two days left to breathe fresh air, soak in the warm rays of sunlight, and interact with human-kind. Two days left to be with Tohru. To breathe in her calming aura, to soak up the optimism and love she threw out in spades, to interact with her as he'd always done. _To love her right before her…_

He had no idea how long ago the conversation about walking home with her had been; he'd been walking around aimlessly for what seemed like hours. The sun was beginning to set, and he knew that Tohru would be getting dinner on the table soon.

_I guess I better wrap this up if I'm going to keep my promise to Tohru_.

Sighing, Kyo finally looked up to see where he had aimlessly walked. His blood ran cold and his hair stood on end as he stared at the granite tombstone directly in front of him.

_Kyoko's grave_.

"_Even now… your waves are echoing…why are you… standing before a grave with such feelings of regret…?"_

It had been so long since he had been to Kyoko's grave, the last time being on the first anniversary of her death. He had chosen not to go during the second year anniversary. Now, only two days before he was to be locked up in a dark room, it seemed as though fate was playing a cruel joke on him by leading him blindly to the very spot that he was most frightened of.

Kyo knelt before the grave site, lightly brushing off some leaves the heavy March wind had blown about. After he was done, he stayed kneeling, feeling conspicuous and found-out, and yet strangely alone. Without realizing why, tears began to pool in his eyes and fear gripped his heart.

_I killed you._

_You were my mentor. My one friend. You spoke to me like I mattered; told me stories about yourself and Tohru, even though I had never met her. In your eyes I was your carbon copy, and you related to me in a way that no one could, not even Shishou. And how did I repay you?_

_I _killed_ you. _

_I took your life and in turn I took everything away from Tohru. Then I go and fall in love with her, as though I have a right to._

Tears began to pour down Kyo's face. His knuckles turned white as he made a fist and slammed it into the ground. Over and over again, his fist hit the ground in front of Kyoko's grave, blood forming from the cuts produced by small granules of dirt and sand the wind had blown in.

_All I do is hurt people. Just by being born I've hurt everyone I've come into contact with. My parents… my mother even committed suicide because of me. My father… Shishou, being ridiculed by the Sohmas for taking me in, and me hurting him until I felt his hurt would be no more… you, Kyoko, my first real mentor and friend, and through you I've hurt Tohru… I just can't take it any more. I don't deserve to live for all I've done._

_I'm so sorry, Kyoko. **I'm so sorry.**_

_I deserve to be locked up._

* * *

Tohru looked up as Kyo walked through paper doors and into the dining room. A smile brightened her face, and her aura beamed happily toward him. 

"Just in time for dinner, just as you promised!" Tohru said happily, setting the last dish in place.

Taking his hand in both of hers, she led Kyo over to the table. "I even made a special cake for you to congratulate you on getting into University!"

Tohru beamed happily until her smiled faded at his lack of response. Looking down at Kyo's hand, she found it badly cut and clotting from bleeding, and Kyo's face was red and tear-stained.

Kyo looked into her eyes, and Tohru could see the anger and turmoil swirling within him.

"Kyo-kun…" Tohru murmured, staring wonderingly at him. "Are you okay?"

Kyo's face scrunched up as he fought back tears. He refused to allow Tohru to see him crying, but he couldn't avoid coming and seeing her in the dining room; he was drawn to Tohru like a moth was to light.

He was surprised when he felt a cold sensation on his hand, and looked down to see Tohru dabbing a wet napkin on his cuts. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he jerked his hand away.

_I don't deserve any of this._

Tohru looked up at Kyo, her eyes filled with sadness and confusion.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru said softly, "you said to me just the other day that I could tell you anything. Y-you can tell me anything too, you know that, right?"

Kyo stared down at Tohru, and a tear slid from the confinements of his eye and down his cheek. Tohru gently used the dry end of the wet napkin to catch the tear before it made any further progress down Kyo's cheek.

"I want to help you, Kyo-kun," Tohru said gently.

"Please…" Kyo whispered, catching the ear of Tohru just barely. Kyo closed his eyes and another tear fell silently. "Please, don't come near me any more. I will only hurt you."

Tohru's eyes pricked with tears and her breath caught in her throat. _What?...__He's just trying to protect me? _

Tohru opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Kyo's finger at her lips. Tohru's cheeks pinked and her heart began to race.

"I'm not going to be eating tonight. I'm sorry that you had to waste your efforts on me. Thank you for the kind thought," _even though I don't deserve any of this._

Tohru then watched as Kyo took his finger away, and exited into the hallway. Touching her lips, she felt the tingling warmth of where Kyo's touch had just been. Hearing his footsteps on the stairs, Tohru felt as though he had just said farewell forever.


	15. Friday Morning

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Baskets. The plot would suck if I did.

The sun was slanting through the window pane, making the small room warmer than normal. Kyo woke up with his body teeming with sweat, his heart beating fast and his breath coming short. Pushing the blankets off, Kyo sat up and felt dizzy immediately. Lying back down with a sick groan, Kyo put a hand to his head and wiped some of the sweat out of his eyes. His stomach began to churn and he started to feel nauseous.

Looking over at the window, he rolled-over slowly and propped it open. Cool morning March air drafted into the sweltering room and his nausea went away instantly. Closing his eyes, he laid his head on the windowsill and allowed the fresh breeze to cool his body.

_All the stress is making me sick… I deserve it though, for what I've done. Akito was right at the summer house… I am a monster._

As Kyo cooled off with each breeze, he could hear snatches of some soft music being played with each strong breeze. Opening his eyes slightly, he suddenly realized that it wasn't music, but Tohru humming while she did some morning laundry. His heart wrenched at the sweet sound, and his face screwed up in pain.

He knew that she was worried about him. As he lay in bed last night, she had knocked on his door softly with food for him, but he wouldn't answer; she wouldn't come in without being welcomed. He had heard her sad sigh, and had watched as the Tohru-shaped shadow that had darkened his door pattered softly away.

_I will only hurt you… stay away from me…_

But a nagging feeling persisted within him. Closing his eyes, the nausea returned.

_I have… to tell her what happened…_

* * *

Tohru was humming softly as she hung the last of the wash. Sighing, Tohru touched her forehead against the wet wash dangling from the line. _What is he trying to protect me from…?_

"Hey."

Tohru's eyes shot open and her heart began to race. Turning to face the voice of the one who had begun to claim her heart, she smiled happily as she looked into Kyo's pale face.

"Good morning!" She called happily, taking a step toward him.

Kyo saw this gesture and his nausea deepened. He took a step back. _Don't come near me…_

Kyo watched as Tohru's eyes clouded over with concern. He felt his throat tighten up at the thought of what he was about to tell her… _I'm going to lose you forever…_

"Tohru," Kyo said softly. "I… need to talk to you."

Tohru cocked her head to the side, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Looking into her soft brown eyes, Kyo swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to speak. Nothing came out. Breaking the gaze between them, Kyo stared at the ground.

"I need to talk to you about… Kyoko."

Tohru's eyes widened and her body froze up inside. "…Yes, Kyo?"

Kyo opened his mouth to speak, but instead felt the tell-tale prick of tears forming behind his eyes. "I… **I'm so sorry."**

Kyo put a hand to his face, shielding Tohru from his vision. All he could see was the clothes on the line fluttering softly in the wind.

"She… she was like a mother to me. Kyoko was my babysitter until I was old enough to take care of myself… The Sohma family would normally not do anything like that, hiring an outsider, not even related to the family. But they were desperate, especially after my own mother… committed suicide. Shishou took me in after that, but because of his dojo work he didn't always have time to pay attention to me… so he asked Kyoko to watch over me when she wasn't doing other work for him. She was already employed by Shishou as a cleaner, and he knew of her fiery personality…"

Kyo watched as the wind picked up the clothes and flapped them in the wind, still unable to look over at Tohru.

"I knew of you. When Kyoko had other work to do, I would sneak over and watch you through the window of your apartment to make sure that you were okay. She… she would talk about you a lot. Heh, she even asked me if I thought you were cute. Kyoko was a breath of fresh air compared to the stagnant air that circulated the Sohma house. She talked to me like I was a person… not a disease. She told me about your dad, and how they met and how she almost… left you for good… without even thinking about it. But you were the most important thing to her…"

Kyo chanced a glance at Tohru, and saw that her eyes were riveted on him, tears brimming, her face pale. Kyo's throat closed up and he screwed his face to hold back the impending tears. His eyes couldn't break away from Tohru's pain-filled gaze.

"I… stopped having to be watched by her as often when I grew old enough to go into high school. She still worked for Shishou, so I would see her a lot and we would talk. But…"

Kyo's eyes opened wide and he watched as Tohru's eyes spilled over with tears unchecked. He was unable to stop talking to comfort her…

"But the last time I saw her was May first."

Tohru felt her insides jump. _The day Mom died._

Kyo looked away.

"I had been cutting school. Shishou asked Kyoko to walk me and make sure that I went. She told me that I needed to go to school; that because she had only finished middle school she wanted me to go farther than her…

"We were talking as we walked. I didn't feel very good because it had rained earlier that morning…"

Kyo's eyes widened and his face went blank. Looking straight into Tohru's eyes, tears poured silently down his cheeks.

"We had just stepped out into the street and were starting to cross... A car sped around the corner so fast that I reacted; I pushed Kyoko to the sidewalk. I braced myself for impact… but saw the car swerve to miss me… and ran straight into where I had thrown Kyoko on the sidewalk."

Kyo put a hand to his face, tears streaming, trying to hide from Tohru's blank gaze.

"The car… it hit her… and a wall… there was so much blood…"

Covering his eyes, he scrunched up his face and began to sob. His hand soon turned into a fist. Kyo's face turned red.

"**I-I killed her**! If I only had thrown her to the other side! If I would have just left her standing in the road with me…"

Kyo's breathing picked up, his heart beat madly in his chest. _I'm going to lose her forever._

"I panicked. I… all I could see was blood. I ran blindly and ended up running into a woman; she had seen everything. I didn't care that whoever it was saw me change and ran straight to Shishou… For four months he tried to help me forget up in the mountains. _But how can you forget something like that!_"

Kyo let the tightness in his chest build. His throat threatened to close with every tear that escaped his eyes.

Looking up at Tohru, he saw her staring at him like… she was truly scared of him. He felt his heart break.

"I was so shocked… I came back because Shishou said that I had missed too much school, even though I had been working on my studies in the mountain dojo. I was so shocked to find you here…"

Kyo held out his hand and took a step toward Tohru. She cringed reflexively and backed a step.

Kyo felt his heart literally break. _I have lost her. She won't come near me anymore._

"Tohru… I'm so sorry."

Kyo watched as she started to sob uncontrollably. Anger and despair filled Kyo, and without a second thought he launched himself off the balcony.

_I can't hurt her any more. _


	16. Friday Continued

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. Someday I will own the world, though. I'm convinced of it. I'm saving up all my money.

Slipping to the floor of the balcony, a sobbing moan escaped Tohru's lips. Crouching, Tohru rolled herself into a ball, burying her head into her knees; rocking back and forth, she cried helplessly.

_Mom… Mom…_

"Honda… san?"

Tohru didn't want help. She didn't want anyone to talk to her, to see her. Keeping her head in her knees, Tohru didn't respond to Yuki.

Tohru felt a hand fall on her shoulder, and she stopped rocking.

"Did… something happen? Are you all right?" The worry was evident in his voice.

The fact that he was worrying about her ate a little at her mind… but she was unable to stop crying.

"Where's Kyo?" Yuki asked, his voice suddenly hard. She could tell that he was looking for him, scanning the balcony and the roof to see if he was hiding somewhere nearby.

Tohru tried to stop the rush of emotions as she heard Yuki say Kyo's name, but it was too much. Emotions that she couldn't even know existed surfaced and threatened to bubble over, almost choking the breath out of Tohru.

Gasping, tears streaming down, Tohru replied to Yuki. "He… jumped off… the… balcony…"

Yuki, taking his hand briefly off Tohru's shoulder, walked over to the railing of the balcony. Looking down, Yuki saw two feet imprints in the freshly thawed March ground, marking where Kyo had landed. Yuki could see the bent impressions in the grass where Kyo's running feet had flattened it, and followed the trail until he saw it disappear into the woods.

Sighing, Yuki turned back to Tohru. "He ran into the woods, Honda-san."

Tohru felt her face scrunch in silent pain and she began to shake.

_He…he killed you?_

She felt Yuki bend next to her, his hand returning to keep a gentle grip on her shoulder.

"You're… shaking. Honda-san, Kyo… didn't do anything… to you… did he?"

Tohru couldn't reply. Her body was shaking and her voice wouldn't work. Tears wouldn't stop coming from her eyes. All she could do was rock back and forth again; movement kept her from going completely insane from the onrush of emotions. A choking howl was caught in her chest, making her breath come short. Just slightly, Tohru shook her head no.

Yuki watched as the woman who had always taken care of him suddenly became… helpless. Resolve filled him.

"That's it. You're going back to bed. No school."

Tohru's eyes burst open and she looked up at Yuki.

Yuki was taken aback by how desperate Tohru looked, her face soaked and her hair a mess. Yuki immediately stood, taking his hand away from Tohru's shoulder.

"But I promised…" Tohru's eyes filled with fresh tears; _I promised Mom I'd finish high school for her._

Yuki held out a hand. "Tohru, your mom would be proud of you for coming along this far. And missing one day isn't going to hurt your chances of graduation. I'll just tell the teachers that you fell ill from studying so hard but will be able to come to the ceremony tomorrow."

Tohru stared blankly at Yuki. She couldn't help but remember what Kyo had told her just a couple of nights ago… _"Tohru…your mother would be happy for you no matter what…"_

"No. I… will go to school."

Yuki bent down and gently took Tohru's arm. Hoisting her up, Yuki shook his head.

"Then it's all right if we're late. I can go grab your things from your room and then we can go, is that all right Honda-san?"

Tohru nodded slightly, the hair surrounding her face sticking to the wetness on her cheeks. Yuki took the opportunity to hand her a drying towel from the line. Tohru stared down at it as Yuki pattered off silently to grab their collective school items.

_Mom… I thought I had figured out who I was going to give up… you, or Kyo… but I think I…_

* * *

Kyo couldn't stop running. Even though his lungs were about to burst from lack of air, the adrenaline in his blood carried him further and further away from the look of terror on Tohru's face. His heart felt as though it was literally torn to pieces.

He knew that if he turned, that if he stopped for just a second to look back, that he would go back to her. That he would run back to the balcony where the wind rustled the wash to hold Tohru, to try and comfort her, to cry with her for his transgressions.

But she would never let him. _She's lost from me._

Not long ago, he had held her on that balcony without changing into a cat. She had told him about her father; about how she emulated him not because she was like him, but because she was _unlike_ him. She talked like him only to please her grieving mother, and to prove her relatives that she was Katsuya's daughter, even if only through speech. She had confessed this to Kyo on that balcony, and he had held her without changing through the wash after her heart-wrenching confession, and there he had confessed his own lies.

_How could I have been so stupid? So blind to think that she would forgive me for taking away her mother. _

_I am a fool. _

Kyo ran to the only place where he could find sanctuary.


	17. Wandering Thoughts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. And all that jazz.

It had been the last day of school.

Walking home, Tohru felt the weight of the day press a little harder on her shoulders. She knew that Kyo wouldn't be there since… but nevertheless she did not want to go to Shigure's just yet…

Yuki had chattered idly to her as they had walked to school earlier that morning, his tone light but probing… but Tohru said little in return. Her thoughts were jumbled into a thousand unbreakable knots and her heart felt like it was in her stomach, being eaten away by acidic thoughts. Since she came with Yuki to school, the teachers had forgiven Tohru for being late for the last of her exams (and seeing as how she was normally impeccably on time, they had no reason but to excuse her, President or no President). Yuki's rabid fangirls, however, did not appreciate their last few moments to goggle at Yuki being hindered by Tohru.

Tohru didn't even notice the glares.

The last day at school had blown by and yet had been the slowest day of her life. Tohru couldn't even remember what she had done, let alone what she had made on her exams.

Most of the students had assumed that Tohru had been blotchy and red-faced because of the sadness about graduation (the rabid fangirls assumed that it was because Yuki had finally turned down the witch); she didn't correct them.

Hana and Arisa knew better. As soon as Tohru entered the classroom, they knew something was wrong.

"Tohru," Hana had said, cornering in the classroom when there was a brief break. "Your waves are off. You are in turmoil. What has happened?"

Arisa made a fist. "If one of those little Sohma boys hurt you, I'll…" She slammed it into her other hand.

Tohru only looked down and smiled sadly. "Th-thank you for your concern. I am… sad like the rest of the class due to graduation. Really."

Arisa and Hana had just looked worriedly at Tohru, but both knew that if Tohru wasn't going to tell them, then she wouldn't tell them right then; she would tell them when she was ready. And they would have to be patient.

Staring blankly at the sidewalk as she made her way slowly home, Tohru was grateful for such caring friends. She knew she couldn't tell them what was wrong, though. They would never forgive Kyo for what he did.

_But… should I?_

_I've always been forgiving. I've always…_

The sidewalk forked. Straight would carry her toward the Sohma house. Right would take her to Shigure's. She stared at her choices, already conscious of the one she was going to make.

Tohru turned left, and followed a small alley to a place she had once dubbed as "homey".

_I've always… believed in people. Like Mom said I should._

Tohru remembered standing at her father's grave with her mother, incense and candles brightening the cold grave, flowers giving the white stone a dash of color.

"_Tohru… believe in people. Doubting is easy—anyone can do it. Tohru, be someone who can believe. I'm sure **that** will be your strength."_

Tohru walked up the steps, her feet heavy with the weight of her thoughts and her head hung in misery.

_My strength? I have none. I'm just… me._

As her mother's headstone came into view, Tohru's eyes began to swell with the tears she had been holding back at her last day of school.

_Mom…_

_I did it…_

_I did as you asked and I finished school…_

"_Shishou asked Kyoko to walk me and make sure that I went. She told me that I needed to go to school; that because she had only finished middle school she wanted me to go farther than her…"_

A choking sob made its way up through Tohru's chest and erupted. Tohru collapsed upon the headstone, her tears washing the dirt and dust that had collected since its last cleaning by Kyo. Her hair fell over her face, obscuring it.

"Mom!" Tohru cried out, her knuckles turning white from gripping the stone. "Mom… Mom… he took you away!

"Now what! Now what am I supposed to do? I finished! Now what… he took you away…"

Pent-up sobs wracked her body, and she weakly slid down the headstone to her knees as each sob made her lose control a little more.

"What… should I do now?" Tohru whispered through her tears, her hands weakly clutching the stone bearing her mother's name. _Am I supposed to forgive Kyo? Am I supposed to keep believing in him, as you told me I should? _

"Do what your heart tells you."

Tohru jumped slightly inwardly; she hadn't expected a reply.

"Tohru…" Arisa said gently, kneeling down next to her. Tohru still didn't move, her face obscured by the waterfall of brown hair. "I don't know what happened to you. All I know is that I want to help. Throughout the time I've known you, I've never seen you this upset, even when Kyoko died."

Tohru began to sob silently, each one let out shook her body. _Mom…did I really seem that unfeeling?_

"I… gah… Tohru… I love you more than any sister I could have ever had. You and Hana both."

Tohru could hear the tears choking Arisa's voice.

"I can't bear to think that you're in pain and I'm not helping…"

"Tohru," Hana interrupted. "Just follow what your heart says. Your turmoil… it's taken root in your heart… so go where it tells you to go."

"But…" Tohru said softly after a moment, tears falling steadily, "I'm not even sure what it's saying. What if it's a mistake? What if I'm wrong?"

Arisa laughed tearfully. "I fall in love with fools! You… Kureno… Strangely, I don't think that it's a mistake, no matter how much hurt it causes me."

"Do you believe that he did it on purpose? The person who took Kyoko away?" Hana asked, still keeping a steady distance away from the grieving Tohru.

Tohru's head lifted a little, her blank eyes peering out onto another grave marker. After a moment, her grief became too much and her head fell deeper than it had before.

"I.. I don't know! I believe him when he says he's sorry…."

"_I… **I'm so sorry.**"_

"But…"

"_Tohru… believe in people… I'm sure **that** will be your strength."_

"Do I… really believe him?"

_He says it was an accident. He was going to give his life to save Mom's… but instead the driver chose her…_

"_She… she was like a mother to me…"_

_He threw her away from the car._

_The car chose her._

_Kyo-kun…_

_Kyo-kun…I…_

"I do. I believe him. I believe in him."

It felt as though a spring had leaked into her heart; emotions that she had locked up about Kyo were slowly trickling out of the wound he had created, allowing her to feel what she would not have allowed herself to before his confession. She couldn't help but feel the place for her mother open up a little… that there was room for another person… and perhaps a few more.

Arisa grasped Tohru's forearm and lifted her gently. Tohru glanced over at Arisa, her blank vision slowly giving way to sight.

"We forgive him too, then," Arisa said, smiling tearfully.

Tohru slowly gazed up at Hana, and saw that Hana was crying as well.

Tohru scrunched her face up and let the tears flow. Arisa buried Tohru's face into her shoulder, crying along with her. Hana knelt to join her two best friends, hugging them close to her as well.

_Mom…_

_I forgive him._


	18. Displacement

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. It's storming up a… storm. Here. Perhaps because of my story…. Or because we haven't had rain in ages…. It's my story. Definitely.

_Mom…_

_I forgive him._

_At least… I think I have. _

Tohru succumbed to her friends' love.

_But I'm not ready to see him just yet._

* * *

"Uh huh. Well, thank you for calling. Then we'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow? Please be careful. Uh huh, good bye."

Yuki walked into the hallway to see Shigure hang up the phone.

Shigure turned and smiled at Yuki. Yuki returned Shigure's smile with a quizzical look.

"Well, that was Kyo. He's not coming home tonight. I can't say that I blame him; I'd want one more night of freedom too if I was about to be locked up without another thought in the next twenty-four hours."

Shigure brushed past Yuki and walked into his office. Yuki stared at the phone. Without thinking, he brought one arm across his body as if to protect himself.

_Locked up… in a dark room…just for him…just for me…_

"I wonder… where is Tohru? I'm hungry…" Shigure muttered before he shut his office door with a soft thud.

Yuki, still in a trance, walked into the dining room as if to see about Tohru cooking dinner. It was usually about this time that she was putting dinner on the table; it was unlike her to be so late.

The table was bare except for the few flowers that Tohru had picked and placed in the middle of the table for Kyo's celebration on getting into University; he hadn't even been there to celebrate.

_He won't be here for much longer_.

There had been a time when Yuki would have been thrilled at the thought to not see the cat in the same house as he. But…

_But instead of being here he'll be put in some small room with a barred window, no light except for what little filters through it. _

Yuki felt his bones chill.

_I too have been locked away in a dark room. Deemed just for me._

Yuki felt his blood run cold as he remembered the torturous hours spent in a room with no light. Akito locked him there without another thought, wanting to keep Yuki all to himself. Soon, Akito would be doing the same to Kyo.

_But… only to Kyo? _

Yuki knew that Akito was still biding his time before he would drag Yuki back to the main house to force him to stay by his side. He knew that Akito wanted all the Junnishi at the main house, so that his greed of owning lives could be fulfilled.

_But if we all will be at the main house… what will happen to Honda-san?_

As if right on cue, a slightly bedraggled Tohru stepped through an open paper door and into the dining room, her shoes in hand. Her hair was falling out of its ribbons. Her face was red and splotchy from past tears, and her eyes were wide and unseeing with her thoughts reining her senses. Her shirt was rumpled from where her friends had been holding her so tight, and her knees and legs had dirt smudges from Kyoko's grave.

The two looked at each other for a moment, seeing one another and yet not seeing; both their eyes seemed to have glazed over with inward thoughts.

Yuki was the first to break.

"Honda-san."

Tohru's eyes unglazed and she looked at Yuki through unclouded eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll get dinner started."

Yuki was surprised. He had never heard Tohru sound so… insincere with an apology. It was as though she apologized out of habit and not out of actuality.

As she started for the kitchen Yuki stopped her with a sentence, his arm still crossed in front of him as if for protection. He didn't look at her, but instead out of the open paper door.

"You have no need to apologize."

Tohru, her frame already bowed again with the weight of the day, slowly straightened a little to look over at Yuki.

Yuki, still not looking at Tohru, tightened his grip on his protecting arm. "You have no need to apologize for spending your life the way you want to."

Yuki glanced over at Tohru.

"You can think about whatever you want, whoever you want, whenever you want. You can even… love who you want. Please, just don't apologize for it."

Tohru's eyes widened slightly. _Is Yuki telling me…?_

"I heard. On Wednesday night. I had been in my secret base thinking and… I was about to open the outside paper door to eat some dinner and accidentally eavesdropped. Honda-san… Your mother would be happy for you no matter what you chose. I don't feel that she would like it if you loved only her ever. Imagine if she had only room in her heart to love your father. When he died there would have been no room in her heart for you. Our hearts are made to grow and expand with our experiences. We can love limitless individuals in countless ways. You… are no exception."

Silent tears rolled down Tohru's face, her face pale. "But I'm breaking my promise…"

Yuki smiled gently. "The only thing your mother wanted you to promise her was to complete school. You _fulfilled_ your promise."

"No. The promise I made myself after her death."

Yuki looked at Tohru, his hand lessening the grip on his protecting arm.

"I promised myself that I would love only my mom. I never wanted to forget all that she'd done for me and how much she had cared for me. My mom placed me number one in her heart and I wanted to place her number one in mine as well."

Tohru rubbed the tears away, her hand making a fist as she wiped with the back of her hand.

"Then where does that leave Kyo?"

Tohru stopped rubbing, her heart beating faster with the mention of his name. She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand, her fist still ready to wipe away tears. The small spring of emotions that leaked in her heart began to trickle again, and her heart felt larger than it had even at Kyoko's grave just that afternoon. She felt the room that was saved just for her mom expand and grow even more. Her love for her mother was deep within the catacombs of her heart, but more rooms began to appear with each moment. Soon it was filled with Uo-chan, Hana-chan, Shigure-san, Yuki-kun, Haru-san, Momiji-kun, Kisa… a new person filled each new room created by the spring of emotions. But…

Yuki watched as Tohru's breathing began to quicken and then slow. Her fisted hand slowly uncovered her eyes and was brought to her side, and Tohru looked over at Yuki.

_Perhaps…there won't be a dark room… _

"I… I don't know what to do about Kyo-kun. I th-think I know how I feel about him… but I-I just don't know."

Yuki stepped forward and put a hand on Tohru's head. "You don't have to know just yet. Give yourself a break; you'll give yourself a fever."

Tohru laughed weakly.

"Besides, we still have until tomorrow…" _to save Kyo._

_And perhaps…all of us._

Yuki patted Tohru's head and took his hand away. Smiling down at Tohru, he watched as Tohru smiled slightly to herself.

"Thank you, Yuki-kun. I'll start dinner right away."

As Tohru turned to walk into the kitchen, a bell was heard ringing throughout the house.

Tohru turned to look at Yuki, and Yuki in turn stared quizzically back at Tohru.

Voices could be heard, and then the soft shutting of a door.

Shigure suddenly walked into the dining room, bags in his hand, the scent of food wafting through the air.

Shigure smiled over at Tohru and Yuki. "Oh Tohru! I didn't know you were home! I thought that since I was hungry, I'd order take-out! I also figured since you two are graduating tomorrow, why not celebrate with some curry and rice! Tohru, would you be so kind to put on some tea to accompany this wonderful food?"

Tohru smiled over at Shigure, grateful. "Yes!"

Pattering in the kitchen, she felt a chill run through her body.

Tohru frowned slightly and put a hand to her heart, a foreboding feeling filling the vacancies.

_Kyo… I hope you're safe…_


	19. Kyo's Sanctuary

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. I like multicolored ribbon. I tend to wear it around my neck in abow. I then feel pretty, oh so pretty.

Kyo felt chill after chill wreak havoc throughout his body. March nights were cold still, and he hadn't brought along a jacket. The cold air had forced him behind some bushes next to the house he had lived in for years.

_Oh well, it's not like I'll have a jacket when I'm cold in my new home._

Kyo fought urges that overwhelmed him.

_I could run. I could run, change my name, dye my hair, get some contacts… I could run away from all of this and never return._

Kyo shivered as another chill brought the hairs on his body on end.

_No. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of avoiding my problems. _

_Besides, I told myself I was going to stop…_

_And I'd be leaving…_

At the thought of Tohru, Kyo's body warmed and the chills stopped. He knew that she was probably worried about him, but he had called Shigure from a payphone just in case of Tohru's queries as to where he was.

Kyo laughed at himself inwardly, his eyes going dark and the cold returning.

_As if she'd be worried about me after what I told her this morning. She probably never wants to see me again. _

_I'm a fool for thinking that she could have possibly cared about me… _

Kyo's head softly thudded against the wooden outer wall of Kazuma's house that his crouching body was leaning against.

_Like… the way I care about her…_

"I realize that you like the cold, but this is no way to spend the night outside."

Kyo bolted away from the wall, crouching as if to spring away. After a moment, Kyo realized who had spoken and looked up at the figure next to him.

Kazuma laughed, and Kyo relaxed.

"And here I've been searching all the roof-tops only to find you huddled under my window behind some bushes."

Kyo frowned, a smile playing across his mouth. "It's the only place with bushes on this whole damned plot. Besides, it kept a lot of the cold out."

Kazuma smiled gently and held out a hand to Kyo. Kyo gladly took it, surprised at how warm Shishou's hand was compared to his.

Looking up at Kazuma, Kyo took his hand away and ran it through his hair.

"So… how did you know that I was here?"

Kazuma began to walk toward the side door, and Kyo followed suit.

"I've told you before. I can tell when you're staring at me, wanting to talk to me but too afraid to say anything, and I felt you doing it all day. Care to tell me why you were lurking in the shadows of your childhood home?"

Kyo stepped out of his shoes, his toes so frozen that he could barely feel what he was doing. Kazuma, wearing nothing but socks and wooden sandals, was already in the house with the quick removal of his footwear.

Kyo was silent, still unable to talk to Kazuma and a little piqued that he had known that he was there all day. Kyo closed the sliding paper door and felt the warmth of Kazuma's house melt him from the outside in.

Kazuma looked at Kyo from the corner of his eye. He knew that look on Kyo like the back of his hand.

_He's hurt and trying to hide it. _

"This… might not have anything to do with graduation tomorrow… does it?"

Kyo looked up at Kazuma, his eyes wide. A deep chill resonated through his body.

"I… see," Kazuma replied to Kyo's silent testimony. Nodding his head, Kazuma started for the kitchen.

"I assume from your lurking all day that you haven't had a bite to eat. I believe that someone went shopping recently…"

Kazuma stuck his head in the refrigerator, not giving Kyo the chance to deny what he had so plainly seen.

Kyo watched as Kazuma rifled through a newly stocked fridge, naming off some things that he might want to eat that were already made. It brought Kyo's thoughts immediately to Tohru and how not even a few days ago she had done the exact same thing.

Kyo smiled sadly, but was still unable to tell his unassuming Shishou what was in his heart…

"_Shishou-san is waiting for you to confide in him… even if it's something bad. Y-you really should talk to Shishou-san. He'll understand, Kyo-kun! He really will! If you stay quiet, Kyo-kun…and stifle your feelings, the pressure will just get worse and worse and worse!"_

Kyo's eyes widened slightly; he had completely forgotten about that conversation with Tohru so long ago. It was strange how it surfaced at just this time…

"Shishou."

Kazuma turned slightly, a questioning look on his face as he looked over at Kyo.

"I told Tohru about Kyoko."

Kazuma stood and put his hand on the refrigerator door. He watched as Kyo's eyes became hardened.

Kazuma then understood Kyo's hurt. _He believes he's lost her…_

…_perhaps he has._

"I won't run to the mountain dojo this time. I've got to face what I've done and be punished for it. I deserve to be locked up and nothing that you say will make me not believe that. I came here because… it's my sanctuary. You've always made me feel better when something bad has happened; made me forget the bad things going on outside these walls. I just wanted that for one more night."

Kazuma watched as Kyo's eyes filled with tears, but knew that he was too proud to shed them.

Kazuma's eyes, too, filled with tears.

"Would you like to cook some dinner? And then perhaps some shadow boxing?"

Kyo smiled gratefully. "Good thing I'm cooking; if you would have the house would have burned down."


	20. Secret Wishes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. Does anyone even read this prattle?

The sun was barely peeking over the rim of the earth; a yellowish-pink hue chasing away the blue of the night.

"Today is going to be warm," Kazuma commented from his perch next to Kyo.

Kyo nodded, exhausted and yet determined to watch the sun come up. He shifted his feet and felt a loose shingle shift from underneath his foot.

"Ah, so that is where the rain comes in from," Kazuma noted, nonchalantly.

Kyo looked at his Shishou and hung his head. "You're so hopeless."

"What?" Kazuma asked.

"You had a leak and you never even came up here to find out why? So… _hopeless_."

Kazuma smiled. "But I've not lost hope yet."

Kyo frowned and looked over at Kazuma. "What are you talking about?"

_I've not lost hope in you, Kyo. Perhaps I still have time…_

"Nothing. Just some notions of mine," Kazuma turned to see the sun a little higher from what it was before.

The two were companionably silent, watching as the sun rose in its zenith.

* * *

Tohru put on her uniform, her heart beating madly in her chest.

_Kyo never came home last night…But am I really ready to see him yet? After what he told me about my mom?_

She picked her book bag off the floor and sighed heavily. As she started out her bedroom door, Tohru felt the heaviness in her hand of her book bag and realized… she didn't need it anymore. There was no more school. Laughing at herself, she set the books down and sighed again. _I'm done with school. No more books._

Heading downstairs, she found the breakfast she had prepared the night before in the hands of Yuki; he was setting the table.

"Ah, Honda-san. Good morning," Yuki smiled.

Tohru blinked, surprised to see Yuki up so early. She smiled and replied, "Good morning as well, Yuki-kun."

Yuki watched as Tohru glanced at the table in confusion. Yuki then set down the rest of the breakfast supplies and stood to admire his setting. It wasn't glamorous, but it was decent enough for him, Tohru, and Shigure.

Glancing over at Tohru, Yuki found her setting one more place; just in case Kyo were to show up.

_Kyo…_

"I was going to leave early to make sure everything was set up for graduation, but when I saw that you had made breakfast last night, I figured it would be a nice surprise if I were to set the table for your hard work. So, surprise!" Yuki held out his arms to include the table.

Tohru laughed, but it wasn't the same carefree laugh she had used a few days before. After she was through, Yuki could see tears in her eyes just slightly; a sad expression was playing in her eyes, as if she were trying to hide her true feelings.

_Kyo…I told you not to let her get hurt at the summer house… and what do you do?_

"Tohru, I…"

She looked over at him, the sadness instantly disappearing behind brown eyes.

_She's hiding it from me._

"Will you do me the honor of eating breakfast with me on our graduation day?" _Please… cheer up and save Kyo._

The thought startled him and felt right yet again, while simultaneously Tohru accepted his proposal of eating.

_I feel a change is about to happen._

Sitting down, the two began to eat the previously prepared breakfast.

_Please Tohru… don't let him be put away in a dark room…I too…will be put away then…_


	21. Selfish Desires

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. Now read on!

Tohru stood hand in hand with Hana and Arisa, still in shock that the ceremony of graduation was now over.

_I did it Mom! I finished, just like you wanted me! Except… now what?_

Tohru watched as Arisa sobbed into the crook of her elbow, and felt a small smile come to her lips. Hana patted Arisa on the back.

Looking around, other students had tears in their eyes as well. Yuki was surrounded by the new president, and his friends from the student council group. Gaggles of girls held back, tears streaming from their eyes as they watched their beloved prince grip his small slip of paper letting him know when the diploma would come in the mail.

"Where's orange-top?" Arisa suddenly asked, tears being mopped up by her sleeves. "I see the prince but I don't see him."

"Yes," Hana agreed, "I heard his name called, but I did not see him accept his diploma slip."

Tohru hung her head and felt her heart begin to pick up its pace. She, too, had heard his name called. But there were several tall people in front of her and she had not seen him go to the speaker to receive the slip of paper.

"He was here!" Momiji added to the conversation, running up to Tohru. The girls crying about Yuki suddenly turned to Momiji; he had most definitely changed in the small amount of time he'd been in school. The glint returned to their eyes.

"Momiji-kun!" Tohru smiled. Haru walked languidly behind Momiji, his hand resting lightly on Rin's lower back. Kagura followed suit, joined by Hiro and Kisa as well.

"Such strange waves…" Hana said softly.

"Wow, you Sohma's sure are a bunch," Arisa muttered, looking at the different hair colors among the group.

"Your grandpa is looking for you, Tohru," Haru said nonchalantly.

As if on cue, her grandpa materialized from the crowd, followed by her aunt, uncle, and cousins from her father's side of the family.

"Grandpa!" Tohru said, bowing.

"Hello Kyoko! Oh, I'm sorry; Tohru. Congratulations on your graduation from high school."

"Thank you very much!" Tohru said, bowing again.

"Where's that friend of yours with the orange hair?" Grandpa asked. "I wanted to see how he was doing. I see the other one that came and got you is doing well."

"Ah…" Tohru started, her heart racing again at the mere thought of being near Kyo.

"He… had to go home," Momiji chimed in, a tinge of sadness around his words.

Tohru felt her blood run cold. "He's gone to the main house?"

Momiji nodded softly. The reactions from the other zodiac children were the same; sad looks.

"Perhaps you will go and give him my regards?" Grandpa asked, smiling happily up at Tohru. "Please come and see me with him after he's done at his house. I want to see him again to thank him for making my Tohru happy."

Tohru's eyes widened and her heart began to race even faster.

_Does he… make me… happy?_

Tohru's grandpa then gave Tohru a small envelope and kissed her on the cheek. Her other family then too gave her a few small envelopes and walked after grandpa, not saying a word to Tohru.

"What jerks. No, 'Congratulations, Tohru!' or anything. I'm so glad you're not living with those assholes," Arisa said, catching a fist into her hand. Sighing, Arisa then added, "But, it's graduation day. I gotta try and act grown up. So no fighting for today. I'll kick their asses later."

Hana glanced over her shoulder. "I must go. My family is waiting behind a wall of people and they can't get through. Therefore, I must go to them. Farewell, dear Tohru, please call me."

Arisa smoothed her hair with a hand. "Yea, I better go see my dad. He's probably lost himself in the sea of people. I'll see you later Tohru."

Tohru watched as her two dear friends walked away and disappeared into the thick crowd of students and family.

Tohru felt a hand slip into hers and looked up to see Momiji smiling down at her.

"Would you like to come to the Main House with us?"

Tohru looked around at the other zodiac children, seeing the nervous expressions on each of their faces. Yuki walked up to join his family as they stood next to Tohru. He, too, held an expression of anxiety.

_But… am I really ready to see Kyo yet?_

…_He's about to be locked up. There is no more time to think about selfish things. Although…_

…_I need to be selfish just one more time._

"Please… take me to…"

_Kyo._

_Let there… still be time left._


	22. Dark March

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. Gotta write. No more chit-chat.

Kyo walked between Shigure and Hatori, the small slip of paper he received after walking up to the speakers being crumpled in his sweating palm.

Kyo's heart and soul had wanted to see Tohru after the graduation ceremony, but once he had seen her walk up and receive her little bit of paper, his courage failed him. Instead, he had walked straight up to Hatori and Shigure after the last name was called and didn't have to utter a word. They both knew that it was his surrender.

Shigure was chattering nonsensically during the beginning of the journey while Hatori and Kyo did not speak a word. Eventually, the dark mood overcame Shigure as well.

_Is it right that we are leading someone to their imprisonment? _

Shigure looked over at Kyo, and sighed deeply. He did not want what was happening, and yet was powerless to the woman he loved.

_I just hope that… perhaps there is still a hope left in Tohru…_

Shigure almost chuckled. The thought of his little Tohru standing up to the fierce flower Akito seemed literally impossible.

_But…still…_

Kyo looked down at the sidewalk with each footstep toward the Main House. His stomach was a mess of knots, yet determination to continue held him in a trance to place one foot in front of the other.

As the main gate came into view, he felt a strange, dark peace fill his insides.

_Other cats were confined to this same room. Why should I be exempt? If anything, I deserve it more for what I did to Tohru._

As he walked further into the Main complex, Kyo felt all emotions dissolve within him. Shigure and Hatori lead him to a porch where, seemingly, a bundle of robes sat.

A creamy hand was extended and petting a small bird facing the open doorway, while a mass of hair lay at one end and two pale feet lay at the other end. As the bundle of robes heard the crunch of foot, it came to life and turned over to greet them.

A mischevious smile spread on pink lips. "Ah, Kyo. What a delight to see you. What brings you here today?"

_I love you, Tohru._


	23. A Spilled Secret

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket. Ooo, this is getting tense, eh?

"I didn't expect you to come until later. But I am so happy that you came to visit me so soon; I was getting anxious to show you your humble abodes." A small laugh escaped from Akito's mouth.

Kyo felt nothing.

"Ahh, Hatori. Could you please do me the favor of getting Kyo washed up and changed before we take him to his new home? I wouldn't want the stench of his past freedom to clog the air. A new set of clothing for a new life; you can thank me now for being so generous." Akito smiled ruefully.

Kyo bowed slightly. "Thank you." _For rightfully locking me away for what I did. Nothing more._

Akito's smile faltered a little bit. "Do not mock me with your docile behavior. Take him now, Hatori. His presence is making me feel ill."

Kyo walked off, following Hatori to the bath area.

Shigure watched as the two turned the corner. His eyes fell onto Akito and his heart clenched.

"Ah ha ha! Oh Shigure, this is going to be so fun! After Kyo, everyone else will come back to me too," Akito claimed, leaning back and laughing loudly. "Just wait and see!"

Shigure shook his head. "Like a spoiled little girl collecting dolls."

Akito turned darkly to Shigure. "What did you say?"

Shigure looked at the half-hidden birdbath behind a bush, a little white bird drinking its share of the sun-warmed water.

"Why do you want everyone to come here?" _You have me_.

Akito turned disgustedly away from Shigure. "Because I am their god. They should be here with me."

Shigure paused, watching as the bird doused its feathers in the water as well, puffing up as it cleansed itself.

Before he could respond, Shigure heard footsteps fall and turned to see Tohru holding hands with Momiji as the zodiac children who had been present at the graduation followed. Shigure noted that most everyone had a look of apprehension on their faces.

"Did I not tell you, Shigure? They've come back to me," Akito said softly, but there was no warmth in the tone.

The bird flew away from the birdbath.

Tohru halted a few feet away from where Shigure and Akito were on the porch.

"How wonderful! You've all come to visit me! And Yuki, what a surprise to see you as well. I didn't think I'd see you until later. I am very pleased." Akito's arms spread in an open gesture, the robe's extra cloth hanging down extravagantly.

"We didn't come here to please you," Haru said roughly. Rin's face tightened up with fear.

"Really now. What harsh words to meet my welcoming ones." Akito smiled thinly, eyes narrowing.

A moment of silence followed, and Tohru felt as though her spirit was going to break if she didn't ask the question that was eating her alive. A soft pressure pressed against her hand, and Tohru felt Momiji's warm strength give her courage.

"Wh… Where's Kyo?" Tohru asked softly. Momiji squeezed her hand again in reassurance.

Akito's head cocked to the side. "Why should I tell you? It's not like you have any weight within this family. You're but an outsider allowed the brief pleasureof being admitted within."

Tohru began to sweat; _can I do this?_

_No… I promised Mom I'd help him…_

Tohru swallowed. "Be… Because I-I know... s-something others don't…"

Akito's eyes narrowed even more. Shigure looked at Tohru, surprised that she would be brave enough to say something of the sort.

Tohru could feel her friends around her become confused.

"I hold no secrets," Akito said darkly.

Tohru looked at Akito square in the eyes, her body feeling as though it were being shaken to death from fear. But…

_I have to save him._

"You… Akito-san… y-you aren't really a boy."

Tohru felt Momiji's hand go slack, and shock seemed to go through the younger Shi as though a wave had crashed against them.

"What…?" Hiro murmured.

Akito's eyes widened. "You dare_… lie_ about me in front of my family?"

Tohru cringed, unsure of how to respond. As she opened her mouth, a voice seemingly answered for her.

"No, she doesn't lie."

Tohru looked up to see Kureno step out of the doorway behind Akito. Akito's shock was evident. Shigure glared slightly but held his ground.

"Akito is a woman," Kureno claimed, staring down at Akito.

Akito sat, shaking; staring at Kureno as though he had just grown into another person.

Suddenly Akito turned violently, glaring straight at Tohru. "You wench! You ungrateful little bitch!"

Tohru's eyes widened, her hand clenched in Momiji's tightened even more.

"You didn't even have a home, and what do I so kindly do? I let you stay! You learned about our curse and I don't order your memory gone! I let you into our family! I do all these kind deeds for you and how do you repay me? Now what do you do? **You go and** **turn my family against me!_ You… You're an ungratefulmonster!_**"

Akito threw herself at Tohru. Tohru closed her eyes by reflex, and felt herself suddenly being thrown back. Opening her eyes, she saw Kisa, Momiji, and Hiro jump in front of her. Akito swiped at Kisa, tossing her to the side before Shigure suddenly appeared to hold Akito back. Yuki held onto Tohru's arms, protecting her from behind so that he could throw her out of harm's way in case Akito tried to rush her again.

Shigure held the thrashing Akito against him, watching as she struggled to wrench away from him to get at Tohru.

_This… is getting…out of hand…_

"That's enough, Akito," a voice called out.

Everyone turned to see Hatori standing with Kyo by his side; Kyo dressed in a white two-piece outfit, his hair still damp from the shower he had just been given. Kyo stared at the group of people in front of him, his face set and his eyes blank. His gaze seemed to look through everyone; no recognition or emotion registered.

Tohru's heart wrenched in her chest, and her hand flew up as if to protect it from flying away.

_Kyo… kun… he seems so different…_

Yuki stared in disbelief at Kyo. _I hope it's not to late..._

Akito stared angrily at Hatori, her arms still caught by Shigure. Teeth bared, she growled out, "Don't you dare tell me what to do! Shigure, I command that you get off of me!"

"Not until you calm down," Shigure grunted out, almost enjoying the force being used against Akito by himself.

Akito was silent for a moment, her breathing ragged. Her eyes were wet with angry tears, her teeth still clenched in an angry grimace. She relaxed slightly, and Shigure slowly let her go. Akito jerked her arms away, straightening out her robes. After a moment, Akito turned and looked menacingly at Kyo.

"Well, is our resident monster ready to move into the place made just for him?"


	24. The Fight and Release

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket. I like to wear skirts and then twirl around in circles.

Kagura stepped lightly into his room, cautious in an empty house.

She laughed slightly to herself, and put a hand to her face.

_What am I so nervous about?..._

…

…_I might come too late._

Kagura wondered if the lie she had told the others after the graduation ceremony was actually believed.

"_I'm sorry… I need to run an errand really quick. I promise I'll meet you there, okay?"_

Tohru and the others had just nodded and left, no suspicions played on their faces as they walked towards the Sohma complex; Rin had been the only one to give her an odd look.

Kagura returned to the duty she had assigned herself and began looking around the room. It took no time to find what she needed on his desk, sitting in plain sight. Sitting right next to what she had been searching for was a small object; without thinking, Kagura snatched it up and ran out of the room and into the light where she would hopefully make it on time...

_Please… wait for me a little longer…_

* * *

Kazuma started walking slowly. He knew what was going on, but was still unsure as to how to help the situation. He had been at Kyo's graduation, but had watched in the shadows; he had promised Kyo that he would not interfere with his being locked up as they watched the sun rise just this morning.

Kazuma frowned and an uneasy feeling filled the pit of his stomach.

_But…I can't let Kyo be locked up, blood relation as father and son or not… I promised myself I'd protect him no matter what. _

_You've changed Kyo, just as I had hoped. You don't deserve what you think you do._

Kazuma's pace quickened, and before he knew it he was running at top speed.

* * *

Yuki stared in disbelief at Kyo.

_What happened to… his spirit?_

Kyo's face was held without emotion, his body seemed weighed down by something from above him. Kyo stared at the group in front of him as though he could see right through them.

Yuki felt his heart clench in his chest.

_You… you've lost hope…when we're here to save you?... _

Yuki's attention turned from Kyo to Akito as he heard… _her_… laugh.

"Oh you pathetic little monster. You really think that by acting docile and accepting your imprisonment that your life will be easier? Think again! You will be spending the next sixty to eighty years of your life locked up in a little dark room prepared solely for you. You'll crack eventually! They always do!"

Yuki stared in horror as Akito laughed again, her thin frame doubling over from the sheer delight of what was going on. Akito began repeating the word "crack" over and over again, her eyes dark and yet filled with a hating light,as though just saying the word would release Kyo's withered spirit into a frenzy.

Yuki could feel Tohru's arms shaking; from fright or depression, he knew not. A blank feeling filled him from within, and without thinking Yuki let go of Tohru and walked a few paces to where Momiji and Hiro where crouched next to Kisa on the ground. Haru and Rin stood in front of Tohru as if to guard against another attack.

"Stop… it…" Yuki whispered.

Akito continued to laugh, almost ridiculously. She wiped away crocodile tears with the excess robe sleeves.

_How… annoying._

"Stop it!" Yuki yelled, his anger bubbling into his chest unexpectedly. His fists balled and his breathing picked up.

Akito stopped laughing and looked over at Yuki as though amused by his outburst.

"Yuki, my lonely one; I believe that I haven't really gotten the chance to see you since that littleNew Years incident. What a pity it had ended so badly with you blathering on about something or other. Oh listen to me; I can't even recall what you had even been talking about. Must not have been important."

Yuki glared at Akito.

"I told you that I wouldn't blame you anymore, nor would I blame Kyo or my parents for my life."

Yuki jerked his head to look over at Kyo, who was still peering at them without emotion.

"Kyo! My whole childhood was spent in a dark room deemed just for me by Akito. Your adulthood is about to be spent in the same manner. I don't want you to have to go through what I did. The pain, the terror of not knowing what was within the shadows…"

_Always wishing... wanting someone to come save you... to lay a hand upon you and tell you that you mean something to them..._

Kyo made no movement to acknowledge what Yuki had just said.

Yuki filled with anger even more; it was as if his being was consumed by it.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU BAKA NEKO! Do you seriously want to live in a small, dark room? Why are you not saying anything!"

"Don't give up…" Yuki heard Tohru whisper softly, inaudible to anyone who was not close to her.

Akito laughed heartily again. She looked over at Yuki, a dark, lopsided grin overtaking her lips.

"Are you trying to provoke him into a fight? As if he would win." Akito laughed, a sound from deep within her chest reverberating. "He never told you, did he? I made a bet with him that if he could beat you in a fight before graduation that he wouldn't have to be locked up."

Yuki's eyes widened, his heart beat madly in his chest.

_All those fights when he first returned from the mountain dojo…_

"_I'm gonna beat you, sissy-boy! Once and for all!"_

_And then at the dojo this past week…_

"_What, did your precious Akito tell you about our little bet? Is that why you suddenly want to fight me?" _

_Beating me was a bet…_

Akito narrowed her eyes. "It looks like he's still a loser."

"WRONG!" a voice cried out, startling everyone to look at the worn path coming from the front gate.

Kazuma stood, his face storming with anger and emotion. His gaze was locked on Akito.

"Kyo beat Yuki in a fair match on Wednesday. I witnessed it, as did many others."

Yuki's face turned red with embarrassment, but a new hope filled him.

Yuki whipped to look at Akito. "It's true! Kyo… he… beat me fair and square!"

Hatori frowned; he felt uneasy about locking up Kyo, but this was a new development that had the potential to change Kyo's fate. "Is this true Akito? This bet you made?"

Akito shrugged. "Like it matters. He never came and told me about it."

"But we're telling you now!" Tohru yelled out, causing Yuki to jump in surprise.

"Akito…" Shigure muttered, his eyes wide with thought. "You're the god. You made a bet… are you telling us that you're backing out of a word-binding contract?"

Akito scoffed. "As if I have to uphold anything to that loathsome creature. He's not even a part of the true zodiac. Besides, it was just a stupid bet. Who else would we entrust to look down upon? Surely not ourselves!"

Yuki began shaking, his insides filled with emotions that he had withheld inside the box that Akito had opened only the past summer at the vacation house… the lid was wide open.

"KYO, SNAP OUT OF IT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

Kyo looked at Yuki as if seeing him for the first time; slight recognition began to register as Kyo's eyes focused.

"Yuki…" he muttered softly. A small smile played upon his once emotionless face; a kind smile; forgiving. "It's okay, really."

Yuki's eyes widened with fear. Something snapped deep within him.

"I'm tired of this! Kyo, how long are we going to keep running from our past? We can't change what the spirits inside our bodies did, but we can forgive each other for what we've done to each other in the present! Why should we stay enemies just because of some curse, and because some people say that we're _supposed_ to hate each other? _I'm tired of this!_ _**I don't want to hate you anymore**_!"

Kyo smiled at Yuki again, the focus and light coming back to his eyes for a moment.

"Yuki… you've been forgiven… thank you… for trying to fight for me… it's okay."

A sudden, soft breeze filled the area where everyone was standing, quite warm and relaxing for a March wind. Tears escaped Yuki's eyes, falling silently on relieved expressions.

_**Thank you…after so long…**_

Yuki felt the breeze flow through his body, lifting away the dark cloud of the spirit that resided within him. The breeze carried the darkness away, wrenching the cursed mass into the sky; the rat would now reside with the un-cursed god… A wretched sadness filled the void where the spirit used to reside, the breeze carrying it away to its final resting place, and yet ultimate happiness waited patiently in his heart. Yuki smiled softly as the tears washed down his face.

_He's given me freedom…_

Momiji looked down at his hands. Kisa, Rin, Haru, and Hiro looked at one another, their eyes wild with emotion. Shigure touched his chest and smiled. Hatori looked over at Kyo.

_We've been released…_

* * *

Ritsu looked down at his body, and touched the spot that now felt empty in his chest. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.

_It's gone._

"What's wrong, Ritsu-chan?" Mii asked, looking over at Ritsu with a worried expression.

Ritsu laughed and looked over at Mii. He then grabbed her by the arms and shoved her into an embrace.

Mii began to blush. "Th-this is the first time you've ever hugged me."

Ritsu smiled, the tears still falling in rivers. "And now I can hug you all the time."

Mii blushed hard and snuggled into Ritsu's embrace, a timid smile playing about her lips.

* * *

Ayame stopped sewing. Touching his chest, he felt an void that had been previously filled.

_I feel…liberated._

A deep emotion filled him, and without realizing why tears began to bleed from his eyes.

_I am both content… and miserable._

Mine walked into Ayame's office, smiling and humming to herself. "Are you almost done with Yuki's graduation present, Boss?"

Mine stopped when she saw Ayame's head in his hands. "Is everything all right Boss? Did you make a mistake with the sizing?"

Ayame threw his head back, laughter flowing from his mouth as the tears flowed from his eyes.

"I don't know whether to be happy or sad! Oh Mine!"

Ayame flew from the workbench and swept Mine into a grand enfolding of arms.

"Today will be the day of great changes!" Ayame cried, twirling Mine around the shop.

* * *

Kagura stopped in her tracks.

_Something… is different with me…_

She touched her breast, feeling the spot that was once full now empty.

Tears fell, and she put a hand to her face.

_They did it…_

Kagura laughed happily and began running with a new fervor, adrenaline racing through her body; the objects obtained from her excursion clenched in her hands more tightly than ever.

* * *

Kureno watched as the zodiac children were no longer… the zodiac children. He too knew the emotions that it caused, and to see others displaying the same amazing feeling he had felt when he was so young caused him great joy… and fear.

He turned… and saw Akito staring at everyone around her. A vacancy was now in her eyes, and she seemed deflated.

"It… it's gone. The curse… it's gone… and now… you're all going to leave me…" Akito murmured, stumbling in place.

Tohru's eyes widened.

_It's gone? So now Kyo can go free?_


	25. Letting Go

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. I'm hungry.

Tohru's eyes widened.

_Until the day the cat could forgive the rat…_

Momiji turned to Tohru, tears fresh in his eyes, and flew up to Tohru where he swept her into a hug.

Tohru flinched, expecting the strong puff of air that normally happened when Momiji hugged her, but relaxed slightly when she found that Momiji was still… Momiji.

_It's true…the curse… it's…_

"Broken," Tohru murmured.

"Isn't it wonderful! Tohru! We're free!" Momiji cried out, twirling her in a circle. Tohru felt tears come to her eyes, and a feeling of relief spread through her.

_They're… free. I'm so happy, Mom! But… what about... Kyo..._

Yuki looked down at his hands. A picture of Machi entered his mind and Yuki smiled to himself with a slight blush on his cheeks. _She will be the first I hold._

Kagura came running up to the group, panting and laughing with tears rolling down her face.

"I can… can't… believe…" Kagura exhaled, laughing in-between each word. "This is amazing! I'm just me! No more Boar!"

A cry of anguish filled the complex, startling everyone. Tohru turned to see tears streaming from Akito's eyes.

Tohru's eyes widened. She couldn't help but remember what Akito had said to her at the summer house… when Akito had injured Momiji and proclaimed herself to be the god.

"_In the end, the 12shi will return to me. But then, we can't be separated. So don't try to destroy our "happiness" anymore. Don't interfere, remain quietly... Otherwise, there will be retribution."_

Akito's face twisted, her body suddenly seeming to become tiny and frail.

"I was born to be loved. That's what he said… I was born because you all were waiting for me. That's what my daddy said…"

After a moment of silence, Kureno stepped forward, a hand extended, ready to take Akito's creamy hand in his.

No one uttered a word, and Akito turned, glaring through the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Get your hand away from me," Akito spat. "You betrayed me more than once now."

Kureno moved no further, his hand falling to his side; his face deceived no emotions held inside.

Akito turned from Kureno. "I no longer need you. I don't need someone who goes against me in every thing I do." Akito stole a sideways glance, malice filling her gaze. "I never loved you anyway."

Shigure's eyes widened, then his face set itself into a blankness, but not before a smug smile crossed his features briefly. Kureno stepped back and nodded.

Arisa Uotani filled Kureno's mind, and his heart filled with hope. _Now I too have been set free._

Akito watched as Kureno turned his back onher and walked toward the front of the complex. Her eyes widened. Tears that had dried welled into her eyes again. Akito's face twisted into a face of hatred.

"I never want to see you again, Kureno! Leave me, I don't care!"

Kureno walked until he turned the corner. Without looking back, he disappeared from sight.

Akito's hands balled into fists of anger, and she began to shake. "I don't care! Daddy was lying! You're all going to leave me!"

Akito looked frantically around at the lot of them, her face twisted with hurt and anger. "JUST LEAVE ME. NOW!"

Deep sobs erupted from her throat, and she crumbled. As she fell into despair, a pair of strong hands caught Akito before she could fall any further. Her clenched-shut eyes squinted between the tears and was shocked to find Shigure's face mere inches from her own.

"Not you too!" Akito sobbed. Shigure's face fell slightly, but he kept his arms around her. To his deep surprise, Akito threw her arms around him like she did as a child, burying her face into his shoulder and neck.

"Don't… don't leave me too Shigure… I couldn't take it if you left me…" Akito cried, her voice muffled.

Shigure's face softened. _It looks like you finally came to me… Now my dream of so long ago… can become true._

"Akito, I've waited for you. Just like I said I would. I don't ever want to leave you." Shigure whispered into Akito's ear, his lips brushing her lobe.

Akito's sobbing deepened, and Shigure picked Akito up bridal-style and carried her into the room she had been lying outside of before Kyo's arrival.

Tohru watched as he disappeared into the darkness of the room. After a moment, he walked up to the sliding paper door, smiled lopsidedly while raising an eyebrow, and gently slid the door closed.


	26. The Place Just For Him

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fruits Basket. I'm dynamite with a laser beam, however.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, staring at the door with mixed emotions.

Tohru, however, was staring straight at the crimson-haired man in a white outfit.

Kyo was staring at the ground, his stature continuing to claim defeat. Hatori was still standing next to Kyo, his eyes gazing into the distance beyond the bushes next to him.

Tohru sighed softly. Her heart swelled with emotion from the day, and tears filled her eyes. A resolve that had been absent all morning suddenly seemed to flow through her veins, giving her courage. She clenched her eyes shut with fear and placed a fist on her chest.

"Kyo-kun…" Tohru said, her voice elevated, catching the attention of everyone around her. Each previous 12 shi took a glance at Tohru before gazing over at Kyo.

Kyo's face twitched, as if he were trying hard not to look up at Tohru.

"Please Kyo-kun… say something to me…" Tohru begged, stepping forward a little to ease the amount of space between herself and Kyo, her face held up in earnest. It seemed as though a giant chasm had thrown itself between Tohru and Kyo.

Kyo uttered not a word. Tohru's face fell sadly, her eyes staying welled with tears.

Momiji looked sadly to the side. Without a second thought, he said, "Kyo, you still have a chance. Remember what I said. Things can change, you know."

Kyo looked up at Momiji, surprised. His eyes still could not meet with Tohru's, however, and he quickly looked away.

Kyo thought back to the night he had had a moonlit stroll with Tohru… and of what Momiji had said to him before…

"_...I wonder if Tohru would accept my proposal? ...Hey. If you give up that sort of thing could end up happening, you do realize that? That's why giving up isn't good. I too, will stop giving up because "thinking about it is pointless"… About the cat…"_

Kyo frowned. Kyoko suddenly flooded into his thoughts.

"I have no chances left," Kyo murmured, thinking about Tohru's frightened look on the balcony the day before, her eyes wide and full of never-ending tears.

"What are you talking about, Kyo? We've just been giving the ultimate chance!" Kagura cried out. "The curse is gone! You don't need to be locked up anymore!"

Kyo looked up at Kagura, and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were gently peering at her, and Kagura knew then that he was beyond her help; he had made up his mind. She had seen that look many times as a child.

Kagura hung her head and walked forward, her hands clenching around the objects she had taken. Kagura's eyes pricked with the feeling of fresh tears, and her nose fizzled. Through the tears she saw Kyo's bare feet come into view, and a sob escaped her throat. Kagura thrust the objects at Kyo, holding her hands out for him to take them.

"Here!" Kagura said softly, her head bowing low so Kyo wouldn't see her tears. "I-I thought that maybe these would help you…"

Kyo's eyes widened as he stared at what Kagura was presenting before him. It was the graduation gift she had given him earlier that week—the picture book. As he took it into his hands, he was surprised to see a small object resting under it, still in Kagura's outstretched hand.

His heart caught in his throat. He slowly brought his hand up and took it, feeling the warmth of Kagura's hand that had been transferred into it.

It was the onigiri-shaped stone that Shigure had given him after their talk at the lake.

"_Perhaps this will remind you of our conversation tonight…" _

"_You know, Kyo… it might hurt her worse that you might not like her back. Tohru is a pretty emotional person. When her heart is set on something, or perhaps someone, she puts her all into that one thing, even if it will hurt her in the end. So this non-sense of hurting her and not loving her is just going to make you both wretched. Why not give it a try? Tell Tohru how you feel tonight?"_

"Where… where did you get this?" Kyo asked, his gaze shifting from the stone in his hand to Kagura's tear-streaked face staring at him.

"I took it from your bedroom. I meant to only bring the photo book, but I guess I grabbed that as well. I thought it would help you in the cat room. Now I just hope that it will remind you that we love you… and don't want you to go."

Kyo smiled softly and placed a hand on her head. "Thank you Kagura for thinking about me… but… I have to go."

"WHY?"

Kyo's head shot up automatically to look at the source of the cry. Immediately, he regretted it. Tohru was staring at him, her eyes full of a fierce emotion that he had never seen her show before. His heart thrummed in his chest, and the emotions that he had so thoroughly suppressed after being lead to Akito emerged so forcefully that it literally pained him. Kyo's eyes filled with tears, but he found himself unable to break Tohru's intense gaze.

"Because of what I did to you…" Kyo said gently.

Tohru's eyes widened, but she held his stare. A sad smile crept to her lips, and Kyo became puzzled by this different reaction compared to the one he had gotten on the balcony.

Tohru took several steps forward, and Kagura took steps back from Kyo to give her room.

Kyo hardly noticed Kagura's retreat. His eyes were trained on orbs of sweet earth brown.

"Kyo-kun…" Tohru murmured. "You did nothing wrong to me."

Kyo's face screwed up. "Did you forget what I told you yesterday! I K-KILLED YOUR MOTHER, TOHRU!"

A collective gasp was heard by the ex-members of the 12shi, but Tohru's eyes never left Kyo's.

Kyo's face was screwed up with the fight to block back the memories of what he'd done, but he never left his gaze from Tohru's.

Tohru's eyes gently peered into Kyo's, the sad smile still playing about her lips. "Kyo, you tried to save her from the car… it's not like you could have known…"

"It doesn't matter!" Kyo cried out, breaking contact from her eyes finally. He couldn't take the cleansing stare; he couldn't believe her.

_It's all my fault_.

His fist clenched around the stone in his hand. "It doesn't matter. I still did something wrong. I deserve to be locked up for it!"

_Kyoko… you'd still be here if not for me…_

Tohru didn't respond. Kyo breathed heavily, fear edging its way into his heart. Shutting his eyes to hold back the impending tears, his ears began to roar… when suddenly a soft voice interrupted the noise in his head.

"But I forgive you."

Kyo's eyes shot open, and his gaze met again with Tohru's. The sad smile was still on her face, and soft tears were trickling down her cheeks.

"My mom… she was so dear to me that I promised myself to love only her…" Tohru murmured, breaking the gaze between her and Kyo. She looked down at her hands.

"It took me a while to come to the realization that you did not hurt my mom on purpose. In fact, you loved her just as much as I did." Tohru smiled softly to herself, wiping away a tear from her chin. Sniffling, she glanced up at the shining blue sky.

"Momiji once told me that having memories… the good and the bad… are just as important as having the actual person. I know… now… that my mom will always be with me in my thoughts. She's never truly left me…"

Tohru sniffled again and looked over at Kyo. His eyes were brimmed with tears. She watched as a tear broke from his eye and glanced down his cheek. Tohru stepped forward and brushed it away for him.

"Kyo-kun… I'll never have my mother the way I had her in the past. I can never get her back. But… Kyo-kun…I have you. I have everyone around me to make new memories with. I…"

Tohru's eyes spilled over with tears as she brushed away Kyo's over and over again. A sob escaped her throat.

"You told me that it was okay for me to be selfish sometimes. So… I-I'm going to be. I don't want you to give up. I want you to stay here with me… together. Like we promised. I want to stay together!"

Kyo choked on his tears, his eyes clenching shut.

"Why are you still here? Why are you fighting for me? I can't believe you are… I'm a monster! I don't deserve to be left out! I killed your _mother_ Tohru! She died because of _me!_ I don't deserve this… I don't…" sobbed Kyo.

"Kyo-kun… I…"

"You're supposed to hate me! HATE ME, DAMNEDIT!"

Tohru grabbed the front of Kyo's white robe. Kyo's eyes shot open, surprised at her forcefulness. Tohru's eyes bore into Kyo's. A white light filled his vision as his body reacted to her closeness, and a tingling sensation swept through him.

"I can't hate you! I love you, Kyo-kun! I've always loved the cat! I've always loved you!"

"_And what would you do… if someone said they loved you?"_

The curse's lifting felt like a light breeze blowing through his body, bringing the dark cloud that was attached to his soul outside of himself. The breeze continued to blow the dark cloud out, going behind the corners of his soul and deep into his being, opening doors that were closed, windows blew open that were shut, the threads of his once heavy soul sprang up with litheness, bringing tears of both joy and loss to his eyes. The breeze continued to blow the hovering cloud away, even after all little bits were gone from his body. He felt lighter, free at last from the angry spirit's claim.

Kyo was now free from the second part of his curse… the anger that the demon cat had felt was now gone from his soul. No more despair filled him, and instead a white light broke free from his cleansed soul.

Tohru watched as the bracelet on Kyo's snapped on its own accord, the beads falling noiselessly to the thawing ground.

Kyo opened his eyes, feeling free from the chains that had held him since birth. He smiled broadly, and turned to look into Tohru's eyes.

"_And what would you do… if someone said they loved you?"_

Kyo grabbed Tohru and brought her into him, hugging her fiercely.

"Tohru…" Kyo murmured into her ear. "I love you. I always have…"

Tohru gasped as Kyo brought his lips gently down onto hers. Tohru closed her eyes and felt the doorway to her heart spring open; she finally knew the spot that was just for Kyo.

The place just for him.


	27. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fruits Basket. Guaranteed to blow your mind… wanna try?

Tohru smiled, placing down the last dish on the table to complete the setup. Wiping her brow, a warm sensation spread through Tohru.

_They're coming home from University today…_

A bell resounded through the home, and Tohru pattered to the door.

Opening the door, she found a girl standing before her with blondish-brown hair, her face a little apprehensive despite the fact that they had become fairly good friends.

"Machi-san!" Tohru smiled, welcoming. Machi smiled, a blush appearing on her cheeks.

Manabe appeared out of no where behind Machi, his girlfriend, Komaki, in tow.

"Are they here yet?" Manabe asked, peering into the house as he took off his shoes and meandered away. Komaki stared at Tohru helplessly, holding her hands up at Manabe's behavior.

"No, I'm sorry, not yet," Tohru apologized. Her gaze softened for a moment, excitement building in her chest.

"Would you like me to help you make some snacks?" Komaki asked, pulling Tohru from her thoughts.

Tohru held up her hands, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no, I would never dream of asking a guest to help me!"

Komaki smiled sweetly. "I would be delighted to help!"

As Tohru and Komaki walked slowly in the hallway leading towards the kitchen, Machi followed casually after, frowning in confusion at Komaki when she overheard, "Tohru, do you think I could make something with meat in it?"

* * *

Hana stopped sweeping, her black hair billowing about her face in the wind. Looking up, her dark eyes glanced into the distance.

"Are you done sweeping?" Kazuma walked up, a smile on his face.

Hana smiled back up at Kazuma, "No."

Kazuma laughed, his face turning in the direction that Hana had been peering.

"They're almost here."

Kazuma smiled into the wind. "I think Kyo will be much surprised to find you working here for me…"

* * *

"Yo, we're gonna be late. Are you ready yet?"

Kureno turned, his face filled with surprise at Arisa's busy tone. He watched her as she gathered up her purse and jacket, mumbling to herself as she absentmindedly brushed her long blond bangs out of her face. Kureno felt something stir in his chest, and without thinking he stepped up to Arisa and pulled her into an embrace.

Arisa blushed, her heart beating in her chest loudly. "Ah.. uh… we're gonna be late to Tohru's party…"

Kureno pulled Arisa's face toward him, watching as Arisa blushed even deeper. "They can wait a little longer."

* * *

Kyo sighed. The drive was taking too long.

"Oy. How much longer?" Kyo asked, shifting to make himself comfortable from the four hour drive.

Hatori made a noncommittal noise.

Yuki glanced towards the window. "I'm anxious too."

Kyo looked over at Yuki, careful to make sure Yuki didn't catch him. Yuki's reflection was staring at Kyo, and they smiled at each other secretively for a moment before breaking the eye contact. Being at the university with Yuki had made the transition easier; they had both left someone behind. Neither of them talked about it, however. It was just understood.

Yuki and Machi had become serious during the summer break between graduation and going to University. Yuki hadn't so much as looked at another female since he had left, which was hard considering how much unwanted attention Yuki managed to get from the opposite sex.

Kyo turned to watch as the landscape of Japan flew by. He had had the same trouble with women as Yuki had, but with each advance made by some strange girl, Kyo had just uttered the words that sent warm tingles down his spine and a sudden swell into his heart.

_I'm promised to someone. _

Before he had left for University, he had spent the most magical summer of his life at Shigure's, living with Tohru and Yuki as though it was meant to always be such. Shigure didn't spend much time attending to the three newly graduated—having all of his time stolen away by Akito—and Kyo wouldn't have had it any other way.

About two days before he was due to leave for college, he and Tohru had been sitting up on the roof, watching as the sun set, when he looked over at Tohru. He had been surprised to see tears flowing down her cheeks; she hadn't made a sound.

"_Tohru…"_

_Tohru looked up at Kyo, the sun's warm orange glow creating a halo about her head. Her tears glinted in the sun's light. "Yes, Kyo-kun?"_

_Kyo didn't even think twice, catching her into a hug that made his heart ache. _

"_Please don't cry. You know I can't stand to see you crying."_

_Tohru sniffled a little, her face burrowed into his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm just sad that… you'll be… leaving… soon."_

_Kyo felt his heart clench again, and he bonked Tohru softly on the head, making her laugh slightly._

_Pulling her away from him, Kyo stared into Tohru's eyes. It was then that he knew. "I promise you that I'll always come back for you."_

_Tohru's eyes widened and she squeezed them shut with happiness. A smile brightened her features, and Kyo couldn't help but pull her in for another hug._

The memory alone was enough to make Kyo blush madly, and he looked warily around the car to see if either Hatori or Yuki had seen the red tinge to his cheeks. Neither of them had been paying attention, and Kyo let out a little whoosh of relieved air.

Looking back out the window, Kyo felt his heart begin to race as he saw familiar buildings and landscapes pass by.

Glancing over at Yuki, he noticed that Yuki had straightened his back, vigor and anticipation etched in every muscle movement.

Kyo looked out the window again, his heart rate picking up and his cheeks beginning to flush with emotion.

_Soon…_

* * *

Tohru watched as the guests arrived, her anticipation building with every new body that filled the house. Komaki had helped her create new snacks, but now everyone was just lolling around, waiting for Yuki and Kyo to show up.

Glancing around, she looked longingly at the back door. Without another thought, Tohru peered at her guests before sneaking out the back door. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Tohru sat down on the porch.

Relaxing, Tohru tensed when she heard Momiji cry out, "They're here, they're here!"

The front door opened and a great converge of congratulatory voices could be heard.

Tears sprang to Tohru's eyes, her eyes widening and her heart beating madly in her chest. A deep blush formed on her cheeks, and it took all of her self-control to not go running into the house.

_Why… am I so nervous?_

Listening to everyone speaking at once to the newly arrived Yuki and Kyo, Tohru wiped the tears from her eyes. Tohru stood, staring up at the trees, feeling the wind brushing against her skin, her hair flowing freely about her, her dress floating about her legs. Tohru closed her eyes, a watery smile aimed to the heavens.

This was how Kyo found her.

"Oy."

Tohru's eyes snapped open, turning to the voice like a flower would to the sun. They stared at each other a moment, drinking in the view of one another as though it was the first time they had ever met.

"Kyo…kun…" Tohru said, a nervous smile picking up the sides of her lips.

Kyo ducked his head shyly, hands in his pockets. He walked languidly toward Tohru; she stayed rooted to the porch, eyes following his every move.

"I didn't want to go inside yet," Kyo admitted, walking deliberately away from the side of the house from which he came. Both he and Tohru unconsciously tuned their ears to the commotion inside.

"I needed a breather after being in that car for so long," Kyo muttered, still slowly making his way to the porch.

"And I was…nervous."

Tohru felt a natural smile warm her face, her eyes closing slightly.

"I am nervous too," Tohru admitted, watching as Kyo glanced up at Tohru shyly. His eyes widened slightly, but they softened at the smile on Tohru's face.

Kyo felt his heart beat madly, and a fluttering began in his stomach. As he approached where Tohru stood on the porch, Kyo felt his face heat up.

Tohru looked at Kyo, still drinking in his presence as she hadn't been able to do for months, her eyes shining with tears.

The noise in the house ceased to exist; it was just Tohru and Kyo.

"I missed you."

Tohru laughed, tears glancing down her cheeks before she wiped them away with a swipe. She had been hoping he'd say those words to her.

Kyo suddenly swept her into a hug, a fierce hug that let her know just how much his body had ached to hold her in the long absence.

_I promise… I'll come back to you._

Tohru hugged him back, laughing into his shoulder.

Pulling away from the hug, Kyo gently kissed Tohru, and a pleasurable bolt shot through Tohru as though she had been shot with the sweetest of all lightning.

Tohru looked up at Kyo as he pulled his lips away. Searching his face, Tohru smiled brilliantly, tears shining in her eyes.

Kyo's heart clenched with happiness at the beautiful girl in his arms.

"Welcome home, Kyo-kun."

_Welcome home_.

* * *

Thanks everyone for the kind reviews! That's literally what kept this story going—if it weren't for the wonderful readers and the amazing reviews, I don't know if this story would have ever gotten this far.

I felt it needed an epilogue to kind of explain a smidgeon of what happened after the curse had been broken. I didn't, obviously, include everything and everyone that was involved; good God would that have taken a freaking long time. Plus it started with a party, why not end it with one?

Thank you Shadow for your translations on later chapters that have yet to be released in English! Some of it I improvised and changed into my own wording, some I copied. I definitely give all and any credit to the knowledge of what goes on in later chapters to Shadow. Without your translations and summaries, this story would have been stale.

I'm not going to tell what parts were spoilers and what were not! I know, evil, but hopefully you kind readers continue on with the manga to find out what is made up by me and what truly occurs in the manga. This story was written with spoilers up to chapter 113, so any that come after did not affect the direction of this story.

Thank you again for the reviews, and perhaps I will see you the next time I write. Who knows?

Ja ne!


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